Brigadeiro Recipe – This Brazilian candy is absolutely delicious, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth, and requires minimal ingredients. These are the perfect sweets to share at a party or dinner at a friend’s house – Brazilian chocolate truffles for the win! 🙌
This is literally my go-to recipe when I get that rogue sweet tooth, and there is nothing sweet to eat in my pantry. It’s super simple and so tasty. Plus, most Brazilian desserts are rich, which means it only takes one or two chocolate brigadeiro to satisfy my craving.
Did I mention they are a breeze to make? This recipe couldn’t be any easier, making it the perfect solution when you need something sweet to eat fast. In just about half an hour, you’ll be indulging in these chocolate beauties. 🤩
What is Brigadeiro?
Brigadeiro reminds me of truffles, but instead of ganache, they have sweetened condensed milk and, in this case, cocoa powder. Traditionally, they are shaped into bite-sized balls and coated with sprinkles. Yum! 😋 I mean, come on, who doesn’t love a dessert coated in sprinkles?
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweetened Condensed Milk makes these little candies perfectly sweet and thickens up nicely when cooked.
- Cocoa Powder gives a deep, chocolatey flavor to the brigadeiro.
- Butter for a rich flavor to these already decadent candies. It also coats your hands to make shaping the brigadeiro a less sticky situation. 😉
- Chocolate Sprinkles coat the outside of these melt-in-your-mouth treats, adding a pleasant crunch.
How to Make Brigadeiro
Easy Cooking and Shaping
- Assemble Ingredients – In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour the condensed milk, butter, cocoa powder, and salt. (Photo 1)
- Heat – Bring the mixture to a bubble, reduce the heat, and stir frequently using a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). (Photo 2-3)
- Cool – Pour into a bowl or plate and let it cool for about 30 minutes or until it’s cool to the touch. (Photo 4)
- Shape – Lightly butter your hands and form the mixture into small balls. Roll the balls in sprinkles to coat and serve. (Photos 4-5)
Recipe Variations
- Make coconut brigadeiro by replacing the cocoa powder with about 5 ounces of coconut flakes. Roll the balls in shredded coconut flakes instead of sprinkles for a tropical twist on this Brazilian dessert.
- Equally delicious is pumpkin brigadeiro. Replace the cocoa powder with ¾ cup of pumpkin puree, add a dash of vanilla extract and some apple pie spice, and you’ve got a dessert that is perfect for fall.
Tips and Tricks
- Get your brigadeiro “dough” to the perfect thickness by cooking it until you can see the bottom of the pan for about two seconds when you drag your spatula through the mixture. You don’t want a runny mess.
- Roll all the brigadeiro into balls before coating them with sprinkles. Otherwise, the sprinkles will stick to everything, taking over your hands and probably your entire kitchen too. 😜
Make-Ahead Instructions
These little Brazilian cakes of sorts are great for making ahead of time. Simply follow recipe instructions and then store them in the fridge in an airtight container. Pull them out when you’re ready to serve. They taste great chilled.
Serving and Storage Instructions
You can serve brigadeiro at room temperature or chilled; either way, they taste great. If you want to fancy them up for guests, place each ball in a candy cup (the number 3 size works best, in my opinion).
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days. You can also freeze your brigadeiro and keep it for up to 3 months. Take frozen brigadeiro out of the freezer and place them in the fridge the day before you plan to serve them.
FAQs
In Brazil, a brigadeiro is a brigadier or army official. These sweets were created in support of a famous presidential candidate, Eduardo Gomes, who also happened to be a brigadier. The bad news is that he didn’t win the election. The good news is, these sweets made in his honor stuck around!
To me, these chocolate brigadeiro taste between super melty fudge and chocolate truffles. They are rich and indulgent and oh-so-chocolatey!
Definitely! You don’t need advanced cooking skills, and it only takes about half an hour for these to come together. If you know how to sauté veggies, you can make brigadeiro.
Perfect Pairings for Chocolate Brigadeiro
I love to eat these with a fancy coffee like a latte or cappuccino, but they also pair great with a chai tea latte, if you ask me. You could also serve these alongside other Brazilian goodies, like pao de queijo. Mmm! 🤤
More Easy Desserts to Try at Home
Conclusion
Get ready to try your new favorite dessert when you whip up your first batch of brigadeiro. Have you made this decadent chocolate dessert? Leave a recipe review if you fell in love with it! ☺️
Watch How to Make It
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Brigadeiro
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can (397g) condensed milk
- 5 tablespoons (37g) cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon (29g) butter, may need more for rolling this into balls
- A pinch of salt
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour condensed milk, and add butter, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Bring to a bubble, reduce heat, and stir frequently using a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes).
- An easy way to tell is when you can see the bottom of the pot for about 2 seconds when you drag a spatula through. Also, the mixture will easily slide off the pan. Pour into a plate and let it cool to touch (about 30 minutes).
- Lightly butter your hands and form the mixture into small balls, roll in sprinkles, and serve or chill until serving.
Aleen says
Great recipe! Easy to follow!
I covered half in pistachio, half in sprinkles. Turned out great!
Imma says
Ooohh that must have been really delicious! So glad it turned out great for you, Aleen!
Shanna says
How long do they keep for? Can I make ahead of time like now for Christmas?
Imma says
Yes, you can make them ahead for a great make-ahead treat for the holidays. They contain dairy, so they should be refrigerated. Five days in the fridge or three months in the freezer.
Deborah says
I have to make these asap they look delicious as well as easy!
Imma says
Awesome!!! Can’t wait to know how it turns out for you.
Crystal says
Can’t wait to make these. Do you have any suggestions for toppings other than sprinkles? I was thinking pistachios. I have never tasted these so I am unsure if that would go well together.
Imma says
Chopped pistachios sound great. So do peanuts, almonds, macadamias, and toasted grated coconut. Chopped and toasted pecans would go well, too.