Brigadeiros

About This Recipe

Brigadeiros are Brazil's most beloved sweet, as fundamental to Brazilian celebrations as birthday cake itself. In fact, a Brazilian birthday party without brigadeiros is essentially unthinkable. Named after Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, an air force officer and presidential candidate in the 1940s, these truffles were reportedly sold at fundraising events in his honour. The recipe is brilliantly simple: sweetened condensed milk, butter and cocoa powder cooked together until thick, then cooled and rolled into balls coated in chocolate sprinkles. The result is intensely chocolatey, smooth and fudgy — halfway between a truffle and a caramel.

Ingredients

Serves 20

• 395 gsweetened condensed milk(1 can)
• 1 tbspunsalted butter
• 3 tbspcocoa powder
• 100 gchocolate sprinkles(for coating)
• butter(for greasing hands)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the mixture

   Combine condensed milk, butter and cocoa in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 10–12 minutes until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan when you scrape through it.

   Stir continuously — the mixture burns easily on the bottom.

2. 2

   Cool

   Pour onto a lightly buttered plate or dish. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate 1 hour.

3. 3

   Roll

   Butter your hands lightly. Roll heaped teaspoons into smooth balls.

4. 4

   Coat and set

   Roll each ball in chocolate sprinkles, coating completely. Place in paper petit four cases. Refrigerate until serving.

Variations

• •

  Use white chocolate and roll in coconut flakes for White Brigadeiros.

• •

  Use condensed milk with lemon zest and omit cocoa; coat in yellow sprinkles for Lemon Brigadeiros.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week. Best at room temperature, taken out 15 minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions