Pumpkin Brigadeiros
These Pumpkin Brigadeiros are easy to make and delicious. With just a few ingredients and in simple steps you can have this super fun treat. Serve at Halloween parties, or for Thanksgiving, this is the best and easiest treat for this time of the year.
This post is sponsored by Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, all opinions are my own.
These Pumpkin Brigadeiros are the most perfect treat to serve at a Halloween party, or at any Fall celebration!
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They are cute and fun to make, also can be made ahead and are sure to please everyone!
Brigadeiros are an extremely popular Brazilian treat, a staple at any of our parties and celebrations, they are basically a national treasure for us.
One of the reasons is because they are super easy to make. All you need is sweetened condensed milk, butter, plus any other flavoring you’d like to add. The most traditional flavor is chocolate, but we like to play around with all other flavors.
Besides these delicious Pumpkin Brigadeiros, I have a few different flavors here on the blog that you can check out.
- Caramel
- Traditional chocolate
- White Chocolate Strawberry
- Dulce de Leche (churros)
- Nutella
- Coconut (beijinho)
- Key Lime
And of course, remember to grab your Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk to make your brigadeiros.
Well like I said, making brigadeiros is super simple. In only a few steps I will show you how to make these Pumpkin Brigadeiros.
Step one is to gather all the ingredients, Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, pumpkin puree, and butter in a small saucepan.
Cook at medium heat, stirring non-stop. It is very important to not stop stirring.
Cooking time will vary depending on the heat, it can take up to 15 minutes or more to get to the proper consistency.
The proper consistency is thick, you will run the spatula through the middle of the mixture and you should be able to see the bottom of the pan, the mixture should take about 5 seconds or a bit more to come together.
If under cooked, the brigadeiro balls will be too soft and can be misshapen. And if over cooked, the brigadeiros can be too tough to even roll.
Second step after cooking is chilling. Let the brigadeiro dough cool down and then place the bowl in the fridge for about 1 hour, until chilled through. You can also freeze the dough at this point for up to 2 months, if very well packaged.
After chilling time, you can start rolling the brigadeiros.
Step three is rolling and shaping the Pumpkin Brigadeiros. The dough should be thick like fudge, and firm but pliable.
Lightly butter your hands, and then scoop a small amount of brigadeiros in a spoon, about 1 tbsp or less.
Roll between buttered hands, and then dredge it in sugar. I used raw sugar, because it’s coarser than granulated sugar, and makes the brigadeiros look nicer.
Then use a toothpick to form dents along the sides of the brigadeiro ball, to form the pumpkin pattern. And finally place a mini chocolate chip on top to imitate the pumpkin stem.
Here are a few tips on how to make Pumpkin Brigadeiros:
- Be careful not to under or over cook the brigadeiro. Under cooked brigadeiro won’t form a nice firm shape, and if it’s over cooked, it might be very hard or impossible to roll the truffles.
- Feel free to add any pumpkin spice to the dough or to the sugar that you roll the pumpkins in. I’d recommend going with 1/4 tsp for the brigadeiro dough, and 1/2 tsp for the sugar.
- Make ahead and freeze. The dough can be frozen for up to 2 months, if well packaged. I don’t really recommend freezing the assembled brigadeiros just because of the sugar, it tends to melt making the brigadeiros sticky.
- I used raw sugar to roll the brigadeiros because it’s coarser than granulated sugar, and gives the brigadeiros a nicer look.
- Keep the brigadeiros covered in the fridge, don’t let them sit in the fridge uncovered. They will last for a long time in the fridge as long as they are well stored.
And the last tip is: use good quality sweetened condensed milk. Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk is the best and it does make a difference. Other brands often times can easily crystallize which will make the brigadeiros hard, or they don’t end up lending the same fudgy and thick consistency as Eagle Brand® does.
Check out the delicious fudgy texture! These Pumpkin Brigadeiros are seriously delicious and will make your Fall celebrations so much better!
I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe! Tag me on Instagram if you make them I will love to see it!
Pumpkin Brigadeiros
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk (396 grams)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for rolling
For rolling
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 20 mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Step 1: Mix the ingredients
- Place the Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, the pumpkin puree, and the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir non-stop while the mixture comes to a gentle boil and starts to cook. Don’t stop stirring at any point or it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Step 2: Cook the brigadeiro
- Cook the mixture for about 15 minutes, until very thick. If you run a spatula through the bottom of the pan, the brigadeiro should take about 5 seconds to come back together. And the mixture should fall off the spatula into chunks.
- Step 3: Cool down
- Remove the brigadeiro to a plate, let it cool down, and then stick it in the fridge for at least 1 hour until completely chilled through.
- Step 4: Roll the brigadeiros
- With buttered hands, scoop a small amount of brigadeiro and roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. Then use a toothpick to make dents along the sides of the brigadeiro ball to form a pumpkin shape. Place a mini chocolate on top to be the pumpkin stem.
Storage
- Store the brigadeiro in the fridge for up to 15 days, in a covered container.
Loved making these! Can I make these vegan with vegan/ condensed milk & stork butter?
Hi Georgina, unfortunately vegan sweetened condensed milk won’t work. I’ve tried many times over the years. It doesn’t firm up.
i followed the recipe to a T they formed nicely also and after checking them they spread out like liquid what a waist of time what happened?
you didnt cook enough
i cooked them for 20 minutes cooking them longer there would be no way they could go back to form a ball with slits in them to look like a pumpkin no way at all
It sounds like the mixture may not have thickened enough during cooking, which is essential for them to hold their shape. and that happens because of under cooking, considering you measured everything accurately. Even with 20 minutes of cooking, it’s possible that they needed a little more time or higher heat depending on the pan or stove used, as this can vary slightly.
One tip is to check the consistency by running a spatula through the mixture. It should come away from the bottom of the pan cleanly and form a mass in the center. If it’s still spreading out after cooling, it likely needed more cooking.
also, depending on the type of pumpkin puree you used it can make a big difference, specially if it’s homemade because it tends to be very watery, or if the brand you used had a lot of water.
What a tasty treat, and oh so adorable !
Made them for my granddaughters birthday party tomorrow !
She is going to love them 😀
I used sparkly orange sugar by Wiltons and they are so CUTE !
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
That’s so wonderful!!! I love that!!!! She will love them!!! What a sweet treat for a special birthday!!!
Hello, if I make these or the regular chocolate brigadeiros for an outdoor party, will hey hold their shape or melt?
They hold up very well under heat, unless it’s really really hot, like over 90 degrees and they sit there for a really long time. Specially if under the sun. But these have always been at our parties in Brazil, where it gets pretty hot and they don’t melt. You have to make sure to get them at the right consistency though. If they are on the soft side to begin with, they’re more likely to melt.
This is such a cute Thanksgiving recipe. My mom made these for our Thanksgiving party and they were delicious!
Oh awesome!!!
For using as a macaron filling. Will I need to cook it less or just pipe at room temperature? Also will it eat through the shells like jams do or does it hold up like a ganache or normal buttercream?
it does pipe like a ganache yes. And no, you can cook the same, the pumpkin makes it soft enough
I would like to know if I am going to make those goodies a day before serving may I ask if a day before serving make those goodies and put chocolate on them leave them in the fridge or can’t serve them the same day do I have to make them?tjank you
Hello, oh how nice that little chocolate where can I get them?
its a mini chocolate chip i got it from the store, just regular nestle brand
These were so cute and delicious! I’ve never made or even eaten brigadeiros before but these were simple! I used them to top a fall cupcake for my son’s dayhome and they were adorable.
oh that’s awesome! how cute!!
If I roll them and leave them in the fridge for a few days, can I wait to roll them in sugar and make the dents? I’m trying to avoid the sweating or stickiness that comes from letting them sit. Any suggestions?
if you roll them and leave them in the fridge they might become hard and then the sugar wont stick to them. I have kept them in the fridge and even in the freezer for long time and theyre always fine
Hummmmm… que delícia!!
Can’t wait to try this. Do you roll in the sugar before or after making the indentations with the toothpick?
Thanks!
before making the indentations.
I just made these for Halloweentomorrow. They are adorable. Thanks for this one
Sensacionais, como todas suas receitas!!!!!!