Brownie Batter Truffles

Mud everywhere. Two-mile driveway is a long mud track. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.

Biscuits Sunday morning. Same recipe Mom learned from her mother. Lard, not butter — old school.

I sat on the porch with coffee Sunday morning before chores. The mountains were the mountains.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Sunday mornings on this place have always meant something made from scratch — biscuits if Mom’s recipe is in reach, and when it isn’t, something else that doesn’t ask too much of you. This week wore on me in the good ways and the hard ones both, and by Sunday afternoon I wanted something that didn’t require a lot of thinking. These brownie batter truffles have been in the rotation since my daughter found the recipe — no oven, no fuss, just chocolate and a few things from the pantry shelf. You roll them out, you coat them, you put them in the fridge, and then you go sit on the porch with the dog and wait. That’s about all the Sunday a person needs.

Prep Time: 20 min | Chill Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 24 truffles

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, heat-treated*
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (for coating)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening (for thinning the coating)
Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)

Instructions

Heat-treat the flour. Spread flour on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes, or microwave in a bowl on high for 1 minute, stirring halfway. Let cool completely before using. This step makes the raw flour safe to eat.
Make the truffle base. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heat-treated flour, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix until a soft, uniform dough forms. It should hold its shape when pressed.
Roll the truffles. Scoop heaping teaspoons of dough and roll into smooth balls between your palms. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all truffles are rolled, refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to firm up.
Melt the coating. Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth. Let cool for 2–3 minutes before dipping.
Coat the truffles. Using a fork or dipping tool, lower each chilled truffle into the melted chocolate, turn to coat evenly, then lift and let the excess drip off. Return to the parchment-lined sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt immediately if using, before the coating sets.
Set and store. Refrigerate the coated truffles for at least 10 minutes until the chocolate shell is fully firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or at cool room temperature for up to three days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Brownie Batter Truffles — Something Sweet for a Sunday That Earned It