Somewhere between a fudgy chocolate truffle and a Tootsie Roll is the Brazilian confection known as the brigadeiro. The recipe is so dead simple it can hardly be called a recipe, and the possibilities are endless as far as decorating them goes. Traditionally, brigadeiros are found with a coating of thin, crunchy chocolate sprinkles, but you can go crazy with fun coatings here—roll the candy balls in cocoa powder, grated chocolate, toasted shredded coconut, or finely chopped nuts of all sorts.
Ingredients
Makes about 2 dozen 1-inch candies
Preparation
Step 1
Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan (or another heatproof vessel with approximately the same dimensions) with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and salt. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk often to encourage the butter to melt and the cocoa powder to dissolve. Once the candy comes to a bubble, reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often. The candy is finished when it's the consistency of a thick brownie batter and slides in a soft mass from one side of the pan to the other when the pan is tilted—this can take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes, depending on your stove, but it’s better to keep the heat low and give the candy more time to cook down than to rush it and risk burning it. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the candy into the prepared baking pan. Chill in the refrigerator until the candy is somewhat firm with a claylike texture, about 1 hour.
Step 3
When you’re ready to form the candies, pour your desired coatings onto individual plates. Use your fingers or a small ice cream scoop with a capacity of about 1 teaspoon to portion out bits of candy and roll them into 1-inch balls. Drop each ball into a dish of coating and roll to coat. Set the finished candies on a small baking sheet, or place them into small paper candy cups. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
When buying chocolate sprinkles, look for the tasty real deal, such as chocolate vermicelli made by Guittard or Callebaut, rather than the shorter, fatter jimmies made with shortening and other ingredients that have a waxy mouthfeel.
Leave a Review
Reviews (10)
Back to TopThese are easy to make and delicious! I substituted sweetened condensed coconut milk for the sweetened condensed milk and they came out great!
Anonymous
New York City
9/29/2022
I turned this into an edible using cannabutter and they turned out great. I rolled them in coconut.
Rhiannon
California
12/12/2021
Not great, but they are as advertised. Easy to make and very chocolaty, with texture something like a tootsie roll. As it turns out, I don't want my truffles to be like a tootsie roll, so I will not be making them again.
Anonymous
Chicago
2/17/2019
I loved these. They were very easy to make and the texture was great!
dianabartolus
Portland OR
12/14/2018
hi, as someone who’s mom is from brazil i can say this recipe horrible and not correct
virginiadobbs
nowhere
11/19/2018
These were popular at an event and can be made a few days in advance. It is important to use good sprinkles, not the ones sold in grocery stores. It makes a big difference. You can also make your own sprinkles. You basically make a thick icing and pipe it - search for recipes. I will be making these again.
Anonymous
Minnesota
5/12/2017
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