Traditional, easy, Brazilian brigadeiros made with high quality chocolate. When I moved to Brazil I saw brigadeiros everywhere. It was the most popular and ubiquitous confection in the country. I found it very surprising that this dessert was so famous here yet I have never seen them sold anywhere else in the world. At first I thought they were like French truffles or Belgian bon bons … then I had 1 (or 30-something) and I figured them out.

chocolate brigadeiro in a paper cup on a colored table

They are nothing like truffles or bon bons; the most important factor being that it contains sweetened condensed milk instead of heavy cream. They are not creamy like truffles, instead they are chewy and gooey. It’s closer to a chewy caramel. My favorite brigadeiros are made with high quality chocolate and taste like gooey brownies. Most brigadeiros are too sweet; I make mine with 90-100% high quality chocolate which keeps them sweet but not too sweet.

The first time I made brigadeiros they were too hard and they crystalized; although they were easy to roll and they kept their shape they where crunchy and not the best. Your first batch may not be the best. This is why I have created a recipe that uses ½ of the sweetened condensed milk of one can- you get two chances to make this recipe with 1 can.

Since the brigadeiros are sticky, they all require sprinkles, crushed nuts, or some type of dry ingredient on the outside layer. When I use high quality chocolate for the brigadeiro, I also make my own shavings from that same chocolate. You could also use cocoa powder. But the traditional sprinkle are the most traditional.

I make my own shavings when I want to use high quality chocolate. Sprinkles/jimmies don’t exist in high quality yet.

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Brigadeiros Recipe

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 30 balls 1x
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Description

Makes 30 brigadeiros

Tools: cute cups 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 196g (7oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 28g (1T) butter
  • 84g (3oz) dark chocolate, 90%-100% cacao chocolate (or 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder)
  • Sprinkles, jimmies, or make your own

Instructions

  1. Heat the sweetened condensed milk and butter in a pot on low heat.
  2. Add chocolate and allow to melt.
  3. Using a wooden spoon or spatula keep mixing for 5-10 minutes without stopping. This will keep it from burning. Heat until it thickens like fudge (creamy but becomes difficult to stir).
  4. If you have a thermometer make sure it goes 180-200F. The higher temperature will give you a harder brigadeiro.
  5. Pour into a bowl and let cool. (4hrs)

Making the brigadeiros

  1. Place the sprinkles/jimmies into a wide bowl.
  2. Place a little bit of butter on your hands if the brigadeiro mix is too sticky and using a spoon, scrape a little onto your hand and roll it into a ball.
  3. Drop it in the bowl of sprinkles and roll.
  4. Place in a #4 cup (small white cups); this helps keep the shape the best.
  5. You can store these for a long time; up to 3 months in the refrigerator or 5 months in the freezer. But make sure that you wrap very well in plastic container and plastic wrap.
  • Category: chocolate desserts

Keywords: brigadeiros, brazilian truffles, chocolate candies

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