Brazilian Brigadeiro Recipe

Rebeca Branco

The brigadeiro, pronounced bri-gade-iru, is one of the most loved treats in Brazil. It originated in São Paulo, but it is cherished all throughout the country. Whether as a fancy dessert served at birthday parties and weddings or a humble late-night snack, brigadeiro is a staple in the Brazilian routine—likely because of its simple recipe, scalability, and ingredient versatility. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Brazilian who hasn’t had one—it’s even more likely they’ve snuck one from the sweets display before the “Parabéns” (birthday) song had ended.

What I love most about brigadeiro is how easily it can be shaped into any kind of sweet treat. In my family, we often serve brigadeiro as a cake topping to carrot cake. But when I was younger, I enjoyed it as “dois amores,” a braided white and dark chocolate brigadeiro rolled in sugar. During Easter, you can often buy milk chocolate eggs with brigadeiro inside, and at Christmas, it’s commonly served along with strawberries and cream. Brigadeiro is one of my favorite treats, which not only reminds me of my family back in Curitiba, but also tastes absolutely delicious.

Recipe:

Serving size: 30 brigadeiro balls

Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can of condensed milk

1 ½ tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Handful of chocolate sprinkles

Instructions:

1. On medium heat, heat the butter till softened.

2. Combine the cocoa powder and condensed milk with the softened butter.

3. Stir on medium heat until uniform.

4. Once the mixture starts pulling away from the pan, pour it into a separate bowl.

5. At this stage, you can eat the mixture in its warm, liquid form rather than its traditional brigadeiro shape! It's called brigadeiro de colher, but for the more traditional treat, leave the warm mixture in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

6. Pour the chocolate sprinkles onto a plate.

7. Butter your hands to prevent the brigadeiro from sticking during the next step.

8. Roll the cooled brigadeiro mixture into small balls, roughly the size of a quarter.

9. Roll the brigadeiro balls in the sprinkles until fully covered.

10. Enjoy!

Your brigadeiros should turn out creamy, chocolatey, and just the right amount of sweet. Serve them as the classic little balls, or stop at step 5 (brigadeiro de colher) and scoop them up with strawberries, apples, or whatever fruit you like best!