Brazilian Brigadeiros in gift box
Brigadeiros are one of Brazil's best-known sweets. Small, intensely chocolatey candies with a soft, fudgy texture and a coating of chocolate sprinkles.
Better still, the mixture itself needs only three ingredients and is made entirely on the stovetop. The method is wonderfully straightforward.
Cook the mixture until it reaches the right consistency, let it cool, then roll it into individual candies and coat them in sprinkles. Packed into a small box, they also make a remarkably good-looking homemade gift..
Watch my video to follow along step-by-step.
Brazilian Brigadeiros
Yield: 18–20 brigadeiros
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10–15 minutes
Cooling and chilling time: About 1 hour
Ingredients
For the brigadeiros
1 x 14 oz can (397 g) sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp (18 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter
For coating
About ¾ cup (100 g) chocolate sprinkles
A little unsalted butter, for your hands
Method
Make the brigadeiro mixture
Add the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter to a medium saucepan.
Stir together thoroughly before placing the pan over the heat, making sure there are no obvious pockets of dry cocoa.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a silicone spatula and scraping across the bottom and into the corners of the pan.
Continue cooking for 10–15 minutes, until the mixture is thick, glossy and begins to pull cleanly away from the bottom and sides of the pan. When the spatula is drawn through the mixture, it should leave a clear trail that takes a moment to close.
Cool and chill
Scrape the mixture onto a lightly buttered plate or shallow dish and spread it out slightly.
Leave to cool, then refrigerate for about 30–60 minutes, or until firm enough to shape.
Shape and coat
Place the chocolate sprinkles in a shallow bowl.
Lightly butter your hands. Scoop out approximately 1 Tbsp of the chilled mixture and roll it between your palms to form a smooth ball.
Roll each brigadeiro in the chocolate sprinkles until completely coated.
Place in small paper candy cups and continue until all the mixture has been used.
Larder Notes
Three ingredients form the brigadeiro itself: sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter. The chocolate sprinkles are the traditional coating.
There is no need for a candy thermometer. The important cue is the consistency: the mixture becomes noticeably thick and begins releasing from the pan as one mass.
The finished texture should be soft and fudgy rather than hard or brittle.
A standard batch makes about 18–20 candies, conveniently enough for two gift boxes of nine with a couple left over..
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