Brigadeiro Recipe

Hello friends! Let’s make this super easy Brigadeiro recipe! Brigadeiros are brazilian chocolate truffles made out of only a handful of ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, butter, and any sort of flavoring. The most traditional one is the chocolate brigadeiro, and that’s what I will show you today!

Make sure to watch the video on YouTube showing you exactly how easy it is to make this fabulous brigadeiro recipe!

This post is sponsored by Magnolia Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, all opinions are my own.

This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualified purchases. Please read our Privacy policy here.

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

Brigadeiros are amazing brazilian candies, which can be made into many flavors, but we will talk today about the traditional chocolate flavor one! They are little balls of goodness that kind of taste like chocolate caramels, but better! Definitely one of my favorite sweets!

Brigadeiro Recipe coated in sprinkles

As the good Brazilian that I am, brigadeiros are my favorite treat in the whole world.

In Brazil, brigadeiros are a staple at every birthday party, wedding, or celebration. It’s basically not a party without them.

And if you have been on my blog for a while, you’ve probably seen several variations of this recipe that I have posted here.

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

So today I bring to you the traditional Brigadeiro Recipe, the most popular way this condensed milk chocolate fudge is served in Brazil.

Basically, this is a condensed milk fudge, cooked on the stovetop with butter, and the addition of flavor. In this case, chocolate.

Growing up, we always made this with chocolate flavored milk powder such as Nesquick. However, gourmet Brigadeiro-makers in Brazil now use real chocolate to make this treat.

I have added the adjustment to make it with cocoa powder as well, which has served me for years. And if that’s all you have at home, go for it! It will be just as delicious!

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

And while you can roll these and make them pretty by dredging them in fun sprinkles, many times when we make this, we just eat it right out of the pan, with a spoon.

We leave the rolling into fancy truffles for parties and special occasions.

My sister and I would make a batch every Friday night and eat out of the pan with a spoon while watching Harry Potter. We would make the coconut flavor more often than the chocolate one, because that’s our favorite. They are a great recipe to make with kids, specially during the rolling portion.

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

The ingredients we will need to make the Brazilian chocolate truffles are: sweetened condensed milk, butter, and chocolate. About the chocolate, I like to use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. If using chips make sure to use good quality chips. I like to use Callebaut. Some people prefer to use chocolate powder, like cocoa powder, and in Brazil it used to be tradition to use those chocolate powders that you use to make chocolate milk, like Nesquick.

And about the butter, I use whatever type of butter I have, though some people indicate unsalted in their recipes, I don’t notice much of a difference at all, and for years I have just used what I had in the fridge. Back in Brazil we used to make these using margarine, so that’s also a possibility, though I don’t keep margarine at home anymore nowadays.

To make this Brigadeiro Recipe, simply place all ingredients (except for the sprinkles) in a small saucepan, so here we have the sweetened condensed milk, together with the chocolate chips (some people prefer to use chocolate powder instead as I’ve explained above), and the butter.

Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until thick, fudgy, and it’s coming off from the bottom of the pot. If you tilt the pan over, the whole mixture should come off, as if it was falling in one piece, as you can see on the last picture.

Run the spoon or spatula through the middle of the mixture, and it should take about 5 seconds to come back together.

Cooking time will vary, it should take from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how many batches you are cooking at once, and how low or high you have the heat going. It’s recommended to keep the heat at medium-low, though sometimes when I am impatient I raise the heat, but I’ve had way too much practice with making brigadeiros so I know exactly how to not overcook it.

Below you can see the perfect texture, with the fudge coming off from the bottom of the pan, thick and falling from the spoon into chunks.

Remove the mixture from the heat and let it rest in the refrigerator until completely chill.

Brigadeiro

Then you can scoop small amounts of brigadeiro and roll between lightly buttered hands, and coat into sprinkles.

Check out below the thick texture of the fudge once it’s been in the fridge chilling for a couple of hours.

I prefer to roll the brigadeiros from the fridge than when they are room temperature, because they might not hold so well. However, if you have overcooked the brigadeiro, might be easier to roll it and to have the sprinkles stick to the fudge balls if they are at room temperature.

rolling brigadeiros into truffles and coating in sprinkles

You can use traditional chocolate sprinkles, or even colorful sprinkles, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, crystal sugar get creative with the toppings!

How to make Brazilian Brigadeiros

Tips on how to make Brigadeiros

  • Cook over medium, or medium-low heat. If the heat is too high, the mixture will stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Don’t ever stop stirring as the brigadeiro is cooking. Not even for a split second, or the brigadeiro will stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
  • If you want to use this to fill cakes and cupcakes, cook slightly less, or add a bit of cream once the brigadeiro is done cooking, just a couple of tablespoons, and it will be soft enough to use it to fill cakes.
  • To be able to roll into balls, the fudge needs to be very firm, make sure it’s thick enough before you stop cooking it.
  • Lightly butter your hands in order to easily roll the brigadeiros.
  • Coat into sprinkles, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, crystal sugar.
  • If the sprinkles are not sticking to the brigadeiros, it’s probably because the mixture has been overcooked.
  • These treats are perfect to make ahead. Keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months, in an air tight container.
brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

If you like this Brigadeiro Recipe, make sure to check my other flavors as well:

And I also use brigadeiro in these recipes:

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

How much prettier your party dessert table would be with these brazilian chocolate truffles in it!

And seriously that texture! I mean, it speaks for itself! When you bite into a brigadeiro truffle, it completely melts in your mouth.

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

If you make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram! I love seeing what you create, and I am so appreciative!

brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.
brigadeiros coated in sprinkles, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds.

Brigadeiro Recipe

Camila Hurst
Brigadeiros are a staple Brazilian dessert. Made of only 3 ingredients (plus sprinkles), they are super easy to make, fudgy, and absolutely addicting!
4.84 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine brazilian
Servings 20 brigadeiros
Calories 80 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1-14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips* or chopped chocolate, or chocolate powder
  • 1 tbsp butter plus more for rolling
  • 1/3 cup sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Place the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and 1 tbsp butter in a small saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring non-stop. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes, until it’s thick and you can see the bottom of the pan. If you run the spoon through the middle of the pan, it should take about 5 seconds for the mixture come back together. The longer you cook, the thicker it will be.
  • When you pick up a spatula full of the dough, watch the way it falls back into the pan, it should fall into chunks, not in a stream.
  • It might take a couple of tries to figure out the best consistency for rolling. If you want to use it to fill cakes, you can keep the consistency of the dough a bit softer, but if you want to roll them, you want to cook it enough to make it stiffer, otherwise the fudge balls won’t hold up.
  • Once you get to the desired consistency, pour the dough into a small bowl. Place it in the fridge until completely cool.
  • Now rub a bit of butter over your hands.
  • Use a spoon to scoop small amounts of brigadeiro, and roll into a ball between lightly buttered hands.
  • Coat into sprinkles and place in a small paper cup.
  • Here is a great tip to get the brigadeiros in the perfect round shape. After coating it in sprinkles, shake the ball against your cupped hand, this will give the brigadeiro a nice round shape. I demonstrate how to do this on the video.
Storage
  • Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
  • It's best to keep the brigadeiros in an air tight container.

Notes

*You can use 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder instead of the chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate. You can use either sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder, it will impact in the final taste, but that’s a matter of preference.
*Coat the brigadeiros in traditional chocolate sprinkles, or in beautiful colorful sprinkles, crystal sugar, shredded coconut, chopped nuts.
*You can also pour the brigadeiro into small shooter cups and serve like that instead of rolling, with a small spoon stuck in the cup, you can find those little spoons online or even at the dollar store.
Keyword brigadeiro, chocolate, fudge

Similar Posts

32 Comments

  1. Thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it. I’m obsessed with Brazilian desserts but haven’t known of a source for recipes so I could try and make them. 😁

    1. Thank you Lauri, let me know if you would like any other specific recipes as well! I am Brazilian so I do love making brazilian desserts 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    These are SO DELICIOUS! My family and I couldn’t stop eating them! Thank you so much for sharing! I love your recipes. I cannot wait to try more! 😍

  3. Hi… They look delicious, definitely I’ll try the recipe. I have seen brigadeiro in a blunt shape, I never tried but they look like a cake with a ganache ?? Will you mind to share a recipe like that. Thank you so much 😊 btw you live in the best place where to spend the summer, I love Toga ❤️

  4. Can you add Lori-Ann flavourings to the condensed milk and butter while cooking or jello poEder for different flavors?

  5. Appreciate the effort to post the recipe but I feel it needs to be more detailed. For someone who never ate or made them before it is very hard to judge what is the right consistency. I am in the process of making my first ever batch. I think I made it right throughout the cooking process as it looked like yours in the video but the chilling time might need more instructions. Mine feels cool but still impossible to shape them. Just put back i. The fridge and hoping another 15-20 minutes will help.

  6. Hi,

    Can you please write the weight in grams, I do not understand what is the quantity in oz 1-14. Thanks

  7. 5 stars
    I’ve tried making these a few times and the results are always delicious, BUT, I can’t get the coatings (sprinkles or finely chopped nuts) to stick to the brigadeiro. I’ve tried shortening the cooking time to barely 10 minutes and also tried rolling them while they’re still warm. Nothing works. Any ideas? Thanks!

    1. Hmmmm… This happens to me when I cook too long. Have you tried buttering your hands a little heavier? this could help with getting them “wet” with the butter so the sprinkles will stick.

  8. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes….any chance you have a cookbook available? I’d love to buy one.

  9. Chocolate is a natural preservative. Why doesn’t the Brigadeiro last longer? Anything you can add to extend the life?

  10. Hey,Camila. If I want to make white brigadeiro, just with vanilla do I skip only the chocolate? Or substitute the dark for white chocolate?

    1. yes, even if it’s been on the fridge for a little while. Just warm the brigadeiro for like 5 seconds on the microwave, add some warm heavy cream (1 tbsp to start with) and start mixing. continue to do this until the mixture is smoother and easier to roll. depending on how much you’ve heated back up, you may need to let it sit to harden up or cool down again.

  11. Hi Camila,

    I have made your coconut, lime , and almond brigadeiros in the past and I loved them so much that I want to give this recipe a try. What percentage of chocolate would you recommend? If have milk chocolate, semisweet, dark, and extra dark

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.