# Malted Milk Duds **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2003, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779 "2003-02-13T06:39:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TERRA\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TERRA\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TERRA_Rising)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/1 "2003-02-13T06:39:20Z")
What makes “Malted Milk” malted? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/2 "2003-02-13T06:51:36Z")
> [@](#): > > “Malt” is the dried grain resulting from the controlled germination of cereal grains, usually barley. From [this page.](http://falq.bigbad.com/answers.asp?questionID=89) ---
**Author:** ![TERRA\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TERRA\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TERRA_Rising)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/3 "2003-02-13T07:33:15Z")
Okay, I now know what malt is… But that doesn’t REALLY answer my question, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/4 "2003-02-13T08:04:52Z")
I thought you could figure out the adding-the-malt-to-the-milk part all by yourself. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/5 "2003-02-13T14:34:02Z")
Whoppers are malted milk balls, not duds. You occasionally do run across a dud malted milk ball though. Milk Duds are a totally different candy, it is a chocolate covered ball of caramel. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/6 "2003-02-13T14:51:14Z")
Heshey’s site says nothing about malt in Milk Duds, however: > [@](#): > > The Milk Duds name came about because the original idea was to have a perfectly round piece. Since this was found to be impossible, the word “duds” was used. The word “milk” was used to reflect the large amount of milk in the product. [MILK DUDS Chocolate Covered Caramels](http://www.hersheys.com/products/milk_duds.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/7 "2003-02-13T16:05:01Z")
To actually answer the OP, malted milk is made by adding malt extract to milk. It’s usually freeze-dried after that. Malt, as already noted, is sprouted barley. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/8 "2003-02-13T19:34:02Z")
Are you asking what malt tastes like? It’s kind of a rich sweetness but you really have to taste it to get the effect. You can get malt powder but I prerfer to use Hershey’s™ malt chocolate syrup to make my chocolate milk. I usually drink skim but malted chocolate milk made with 2% and whipped in a blender is absolute ambrosia. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/9 "2003-02-13T21:19:25Z")
What makes malt taste yummy is the fact that when the cereal grain starts germinating, it cleaves the long carbohydrate molecules in it, turning them into sugars! and Malt beer, malt scotch, and malted milks all use malted grains in their production! ---
**Author:** ![TERRA\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TERRA\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TERRA_Rising)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malted-milk-duds/154779/10 "2003-02-15T10:28:01Z")
Yeeesh! I just wanted a straight answer to a question that has been bugging me since 2nd grade. Thanks for the answers, though. (P.S.: The reason why the post says “Malted Milk Duds” is “Malted Milk Chocolate” or “Malted Milk Liquor” doesn’t sound as good as “Malted Milk Duds!”)