Secrets from the Cookie Princess: Brownie Batter Truffles

Sigh. As delicious as these treats are, I was sad to make them. My coworker and friend Beth took another job, so we had a little going-away lunch for her. Since I know she doesn't like cake (correction, she likes cake, she just has an obscene level of self-control and wouldn't indulge in something less than spectacular), I decided not to order one from our catering department (their cakes definitely qualify as less than spectacular). So I searched for the perfect bite-sized treat that Beth (and I and everyone else) would love but wouldn't feel too indulgent about eating since they are tiny and not big slabs of greasy frosting coated dry cake (true, less than spectacular cake graces my workplace). Clearly, the best alternative is a ball of eggless brownie batter dipped in chocolate and topped with seasonally appropriate sprinkles (see: seasonal baking item compulsion). The catered lunch did come with brownies automatically. When I spied one of my coworkers grabbing a brownie rather than one of my truffles, I (jokingly) said to him, "What the hell are you eating that for?" Mildly ashamed he put the brownie down, grabbed a truffle and upon tasting it, he said, "Yeah, that was definitely the right question to ask me." Tasty? I think so.

Over the summer, Kristan from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen posted these and I couldn't resist. I immediately pinned them and thought of them often, but with no good reason to make them (but plenty of good reasons to make other stuff). But bite-sized chocolate treats dipped in more chocolate seemed perfect for this occasion. Plus it gave me an excuse to use my new ~~toy~~ kitchen item.

Also at Kristan's advice, I splurged (meaning, I used a 40% off coupon, a $10 off total purchase coupon and a gift card at JoAnn's) on the Wilton Chocolate Pro Melting Pot. While I generally use the microwave to melt chocolate, I like the warming option on this pot that keeps the chocolate from setting up while I'm working with it. And it did melt the chocolate nice and slow without burning. For small quantities (about 2 cups) it's great,but for larger ones (like for fudge), I'll stick with my Pyrex and microwave. This was also the first time I used Wilton Candy Melts (I'm partial to Merckens chocolate). They tasted great and melted very nicely, so I can see substituting those when I can't find my regular brand (which has been hard since I moved from Pittsburgh). These truffles are simple, with one bowl for the brownie batter, something to melt your chocolate, and a sheet or tray for the finished product. But they are cleverly disguised as decadent and pretty so let people think you slaved away making delicious, bite sized treats.

Brownie Batter Truffles

Ingredients

1 stick butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 pound chocolate melts
sprinkles of choice, for garnish

Melt butter and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, sugar and flour.

Add melted butter and vanilla and stir until combined, resulting in a thick batter.

Pinch off chunks of batter and roll into roughly 1 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet or tray lined with a Silpat or waxed paper. Refrigerate for an hour until firm.