Traditional Brazilian Brigadeiros + variations
User Reviews
4.8
Traditional Brazilian Brigadeiros + variations
Description
Traditional Brazilian Brigadeiros consist of condensed milk cooked slowly with cocoa powder and butter until the mixture thickens enough to pull away from the pan's bottom when tilted. Once cooled, the fudgy chocolate mixture is shaped into bite-sized balls and coated in chocolate sprinkles. These sweets are rich, creamy, and moderately dense with a smooth, chocolatey taste. The rolling step creates a textured exterior contrasting the soft interior.
Besides the classic recipe using canned condensed milk, the guide also explains how to make a homemade version by blending powdered milk, sugar, hot water, butter, and optionally vanilla extract. This alternative allows customization of sweetness and eliminates canned goods. A vegan variation replaces dairy with soy milk and vegan margarine, adapting the recipe for plant-based diets.
Brigadeiros are typically served at room temperature, often placed in paper molds for parties or casual snacking. Their straightforward ingredients and simple cooking method make them accessible and popular homemade confections in Brazil and beyond.
Ingredients
Traditional brigadeiros
- 1 can of condensed milk 14 oz
- 3 tbs cocoa powder unsweetened - 1 oz
- 1 teaspoon butter
- chocolate sprinkles
Homemade condensed milk
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 cup powdered milk
- ½ cup sugar you can add more or less to taste, or use an artificial sweetner for a light variation
- 1 teaspoon butter unsalted
- 1 vanilla extract optional, teaspoon
Vegan variation:
- soy milk and vegan margarine instead of butter, alternative to cow milk
Instructions
For the traditional brigadeiros:
- In a small pot, put the condensed milk, the cocoa powder (if you want, you can sift it) and the butter.
- Cook it over slow heat always mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it sticks out of the pot bottom. This is important: when you tilt the pot a little bit, you'll notice that the brigadeiro “slides”, sticking out of the bottom.
- Turn the heat off and pour it over a platter lightly greased with butter.
- Let it cool down. Then, grease your hands with butter and mold the brigadeiro in little balls, taking small portions of the chocolate mix with the help of a small spoon. Cover it with chocolate sprinkles and then put it in little paper molds or on a platter lined with wax paper.
Instructions for the homemade condensed milk:
- Put all ingredients in a blender (put the hot water first, carefully) and blend it for at least 2 minutes, being careful not to burn yourself.
- You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract if you want.
- Store it in a container with a lid and leave it in the fridge until it thickens a little bit.
- It can be used to prepare all recipes that call for condensed milk, including “pudim” (a type of flan).
Soy condensed milk (vegan variation):
- Follow the same instructions above, but use soy milk instead of cow milk, and use a vegan margarine instead of butter.
Variations:
- If you want to prepare a “coconut brigadeiro”, which we call “beijinho”, use dried coconut flakes instead of chocolate/cocoa powder. Instead of covering the little balls in chocolate sprinkles, use coconut flakes (dried).
- If you want to prepare “cashew bigadeiro” (cajuzinho), use peanut or cashwew powder instead of chocolate. Use it also to cover the little balls (you can also mold the candy as little “cajus”, a typical Brazilian fruit).
- There are many other variations using the same base, for example, “surpresa de uva” (grape surprise), or a strawberry variation (use strawberry Nesquik instead of chocolate and red granulated sugar instead of traditional sugar).
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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