These Brigadeiro Macarons have a chocolate macaron shell, and a fudgy brigadeiro filling. This filling is shelf stable for at least a couple of days and compliant with cottage food laws from most states.
1/4 to 1/2cupchocolate chips or chopped chocolate42 to 85 grams (see notes)
1tablespoonunsalted butter14 grams
2tbspheavy cream
Instructions
Start by making a batch of chocolate macaron shells. You can find the recipe on my blog or on my YouTube channel, showing you exactly how to make the chocolate macaron shells. I also piped mini shells, because they are super cute and I always love making them.
Brigadeiro
Place the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, butter, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom. The heavy bottom is important because it prevents the brigadeiro from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Over medium heat, cook the mixture, constantly stirring. The chocolate will start to melt, and the mixture will start to get fudgy and thick. Don't stop stirring at any point, or the brigadeiro will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Cook until the brigadeiro is thick, falling into chunks off the spatula, and when you run the spatula through the middle, you can see the bottom of the pan.
It should take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook a single batch, if you double the batch it can take a bit longer to cook. Time cooking will depend on how high the heat is.
You will know that the brigadeiro is ready to go when you tilt the pan over and all of the brigadeiro comes out from the bottom of the pan easily.
Remove brigadeiro to a heat proof bowl. Let it cool down. You want to pipe the brigadeiro when it’s a room temperature.
If you put it in the fridge, it can get too hard to pipe. The brigadeiro can stay fine at room temperature for one day. If you do place the brigadeiro in the fridge, simply remove it from the fridge, add couple of teaspoons of cream to the brigadeiro and microwave gently for a few seconds, stir, and check if you would be able to pipe. You may need to microwave for a few more seconds, or add another couple of teaspoons of heavy cream to achieve the desired consistency, however, if you add too much cream, it might become too runny.
Please notice that if the filling is hard to pipe, it’s probably because you over cooked the brigadeiro. But don’t toss it, simply do the same procedure as explained above for the refrigerated brigadeiro, add a couple of teaspoons of heavy cream and microwave gently, stirring until a smoother consistency is achieved.
To assemble
Once the brigadeiro is at room temperature, put it in a piping bag fitted with the tip of choice, I used a tip 1M, and also a round tip to pipe the filling on the macarons from the pictures above.
Pipe on the bottom macaron shells. Top with another macaron.
I rolled the sides of some of the filled macarons in sprinkles. Others, I have dipped half of the filled macarons in melted chocolate, and then dipped it in sprinkles, used my hands to pat the sprinkles down so they would stick well. And for my third decoration technique, I just drizzled chocolate on top of the shells and topped with sprinkles while the chocolate was still wet.
Storage
Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Make sure to package macarons really well in an air tight container to place it in the fridge
Notes
Chocolate Macaron Shells: click here for the chocolate macaron shell recipe.Chocolate: for the chocolate used in the brigadeiros, you can use chopped chocolate, chocolate chips, or even cocoa powder (1/4 cup). If you use dark chocolate, it will help offset the sweetness. I prefer milk or semi-sweet chocolate for my brigadeiros, but dark chocolate tends to be very popular as well.Troubleshooting the brigadeiro: Please notice that if the filling is hard to pipe, it’s probably because you over cooked the brigadeiro. It’s best to make a fresh batch, but don’t toss this one out, you can add 1 tbsp of heavy cream to the brigadeiro, and microwave gently, and stir until smooth. Or you can roll it into brigadeiro truffles, they are absolutely delicious. Brigadeiro also freezes wonderful so you can store it in the freezer for a couple of months if you don’t want to use it right now.