Ultimate Malted Brownie Sundae

    •    2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened
    •    3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) malted-milk powder
    •    1/2 cup malt balls, coarsely crushed, plus more for garnish
    •    Malted Brownies (below)
    •    Chocolate Sauce (below)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the ice cream, malted-milk powder, and crushed malt balls. Mix until blended, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to an airtight container, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours, or overnight.

Just before serving, cut brownies into 24 rectangles, making four even columns and six even rows.
Assemble sundaes: Divide half of the ice cream evenly among eight serving dishes. Top each with a brownie, then with another ice cream layer. Garnish each with two more brownies. Drizzle with chocolate sauce; sprinkle with crushed malt balls.

Malted Brownies
    •    1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
    •    1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
    •    10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
    •    1 cup (about 4 1/2 ounces) malted-milk powder
    •    1 cup (about 4 ounces) malt balls, coarsely crushed
    •    1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
    •    3 large eggs
    •    1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; set aside. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, malted-milk powder, and malt balls; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat sugar and eggs until thickened and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture and vanilla; mix to combine, about 30 seconds more. Using a spatula, fold in flour mixture until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer brownies to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Sauce
    •    14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
    •    2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
    •    2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
    •    3/4 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Warm gently over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is completely melted and sauce is smooth. Allow sauce to cool slightly before serving.

Serves 8.

VERDICT: My god.  I did not fully comprehend that this was three separate recipes until I'd already committed to ingredients.  The brownies were a complete disaster--hardened to the point that no spoon could puncture them on the bottom, but otherwise raw.  The sauce was no better than any other sauce despite having two kinds of chocolate and two different dairy products.  The ice cream was good, but if I want a mix-in ice cream, Ben and Jerry will do just fine.  Triple toss.