Brigadeiros (Brazilian chocolate truffles)
Ingredients
Method
- Pour the condensed milk into a heavy-based saucepan, add the sifted cocoa and the butter. Stir off the heat until the cocoa has fully dissolved.
- Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the bottom well.
- Stop cooking when the mixture thickens, comes away from the bottom of the pan and slides in one piece when you tilt the pan.
- Pour the mixture onto a buttered plate and leave to cool for 1 hour at room temperature, or 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Butter your hands and roll about 25 balls of 15 g, the size of a walnut.
- Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles and place it in a paper case. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Fudgy, rich in chocolate and impossible to resist: the brigadeiro is the little truffle that Brazilians serve at every birthday party. Here is our brigadeiro traditional Brazilian recipe, with just four ingredients and a single saucepan.
The story of the brigadeiro
The brigadeiro was born in Brazil in the 1940s. According to the most often told story, it takes its name from Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, a candidate in the 1945 presidential election: his female supporters sold these sweets to fund his campaign. At the time, milk and sugar were scarce after the war, and canned condensed milk was a practical solution. The candidate lost the election, but the recipe won over the whole country. Today, there is no children’s party without a tray of brigadeiros.
Brazilian chocolate truffles, but without cream
These Brazilian chocolate truffles are not quite like classic European truffles. There is no cream and no melted chocolate: the base is sweetened condensed milk, gently cooked with cocoa and a little butter. As it cooks, the condensed milk caramelises slightly and thickens into a soft paste, a bit like chocolate fudge. The result is sweeter and softer than a classic truffle, with a texture that sticks slightly to your teeth.
An easy brigadeiro recipe
This is an easy brigadeiro recipe, perfect for cooking with children. You need a 397 g can of sweetened condensed milk, two spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa, a knob of butter and chocolate sprinkles. Allow about twelve minutes of cooking, an hour of cooling, then the most fun part: rolling the balls. One can makes about 25 brigadeiros, enough for a birthday party.
How to make perfect brigadeiros?
To know how to make perfect brigadeiros, remember three rules. Use a heavy-based saucepan so the condensed milk does not burn. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom and sides well. And butter your hands before rolling the balls: the mixture will no longer stick. For a more intense flavour, replace half the cocoa with 50 g of 70% dark chocolate added at the end of cooking.
The brigadeiro cooking point
The brigadeiro cooking point is the real secret of the recipe. If the mixture is undercooked, it stays too soft to roll. If it is overcooked, it becomes hard and dry. The right moment comes when the mixture comes away from the bottom of the pan and a line drawn with the spatula takes a few seconds to close. For a brigadeiro de colher eaten with a spoon, stop cooking 2 minutes earlier.
Homemade brigadeiro in the Thermomix
The brigadeiro Thermomix version is even simpler, because the machine stirs for you. Put the condensed milk, cocoa and butter in the bowl. Cook for 15 minutes at 100 °C, speed 2, without the measuring cup, placing the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splashes. Check the texture: if it is still runny, add 2 to 3 minutes. Then pour the mixture onto a buttered plate and leave to cool. This homemade brigadeiro is then rolled just like the classic recipe.
Brigadeiro without condensed milk
For a brigadeiro without condensed milk from a can, there are two solutions. The first is homemade condensed milk: simmer 500 ml of whole milk with 150 g of sugar over low heat for about 45 minutes, until you have roughly 400 g of thick cream. The second is coconut condensed milk, sold in cans in organic shops: it gives a lactose-free brigadeiro with a light coconut flavour. In that case, replace the butter with coconut oil too.
Gourmet brigadeiro: the flavours
The gourmet brigadeiro is the patisserie version, made with real dark chocolate and cream and carefully decorated. It comes in many flavours. Beijinho is the coconut version: the cocoa is replaced by 50 g of desiccated coconut and the balls are rolled in sugar or coconut. Branquinho is a white brigadeiro, without cocoa, often rolled in granulated sugar. Bicho de pé is pink and strawberry-flavoured. You will also find pistachio, coffee, lemon and cinnamon brigadeiros.
Brigadeiro recheado
The brigadeiro recheado hides a surprise inside. Flatten a ball of mixture in your hand, place a whole hazelnut, a piece of strawberry, a glacé cherry or a small cube of chocolate in the centre, then close and roll. Strawberry is the classic at Brazilian parties: it is then called brigadeiro de morango.
Brigadeiro de colher in glasses
The brigadeiro de colher is eaten with a spoon, hence its name (“colher” means spoon). Stop cooking earlier, while the mixture still coats the spatula, and pour it hot into small glasses. For brigadeiro de colher glasses, layer the chocolate cream with crushed biscuits, diced strawberries or whipped cream. It is a last-minute dessert ready in 15 minutes.
Brigadeiro for birthday parties
The brigadeiro for birthday parties is a real institution in Brazil. It is presented in small pleated paper cases, lined up on a tray with other sweets such as beijinho. For a party, allow 3 to 4 brigadeiros per child. You can make them the day before: they are even better the next day.
Brigadeiro storage
For brigadeiro storage, the rolled balls keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, away from heat, and up to 5 days in the fridge. Take them out 20 minutes before serving to bring back their soft texture. The unrolled mixture also keeps for 5 days in the fridge, with cling film pressed onto the surface. Brigadeiros freeze very well: 3 months in the freezer, thawed in the fridge.
Brigadeiro calories
For brigadeiro calories, allow about 75 kcal for a 15 g brigadeiro, including 11 g of carbohydrates. The sweetened condensed milk provides most of the calories and sugar. So it is a treat to enjoy in moderation, like our other party desserts.
What to serve with brigadeiros?
In Brazil, brigadeiros are served at the end of a party meal with a small coffee. For a complete Brazilian snack, add our cheesy pão de queijo. Chocolate lovers will also enjoy our gooey Swedish kladdkaka, our churros to dip in hot chocolate or Portuguese pastéis de nata. A pinch of cinnamon in the mixture adds a lovely spicy note, and our spice guide will give you more ideas. And if you enjoyed these brigadeiros, use the same chocolate for the cobertura of our bolo de cenoura, the Brazilian carrot cake served at teatime.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my brigadeiros too soft?
The mixture was not cooked long enough. Put it back in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it comes away from the bottom, then leave it to cool again.
Can I use sweetened drinking chocolate?
Yes, that is actually what is often done in Brazil. Use 40 g of drinking chocolate powder: the brigadeiro will be milder and a little less chocolatey.
