Brigadeiro Recipe
Brigadeiros are a staple Brazilian dessert. Made of a few ingredients (plus sprinkles), they are super easy to make, fudgy, and absolutely addicting!
Servings 20 brigadeiros
Calories 80kcal
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 397g
- 100 g table cream see notes
- 100 g chopped chocolate or other flavoring, see notes
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter 14g
- sprinkles or other coatings for rolling
- Butter or cooking spray for greasing your hands
Instructions
- Combine the sweetened condensed milk, table cream, chocolate or other flavoring, and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place it on the stove.
- For dark chocolate brigadeiros, cook over medium-high heat. For light-colored brigadeiros, cook over medium-low or low heat.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the brigadeiro reaches the consistency needed for how you plan to use it.
- For cake filling, frosting, or a softer spoonable consistency, cook to approximately 205°F (96°C).
- For brigadeiros that will be rolled into truffles, cook to approximately 208°F to 214°F. Dark chocolate brigadeiros will usually reach rolling consistency around 208°F to 210°F, while lighter-colored brigadeiros can be cooked closer to 214°F.
- Check the consistency as the brigadeiro cooks. When you drag the spatula across the bottom of the pan, the path should remain open for approximately 5 seconds.
- The brigadeiro should also fall from the spatula in thick chunks that create a slight mound when they fall back into the pan instead of immediately flattening into the mixture.
- Once the brigadeiro reaches the proper temperature and consistency, transfer it to a shallow bowl or plate. Cover with plastic wrap directly against the surface and let it cool completely.
- If refrigerating before rolling, remove the brigadeiro from the refrigerator about 1 to 2 hours beforehand so it can come closer to room temperature.
- To roll the brigadeiros, prepare the paper cups and place your sprinkles or other coating in a shallow bowl.
- Grease your hands lightly with butter or cooking spray.
- Scoop a small amount of brigadeiro and roll it between your palms into a smooth ball.
- Place the brigadeiro in the coating and roll until completely covered.
- Cup your hand around the brigadeiro and gently roll it around your palm several times to make the shape round and smooth.
- Place it in a small paper cup and repeat with the remaining brigadeiro.
- Whenever the mixture begins sticking to your hands, wash and dry them thoroughly, grease again, and continue rolling.
- Store the finished brigadeiros in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Table cream: Look for table cream, such as Nestlé Media Crema, in the Latin or international foods aisle of most grocery stores. You can leave it out if desired or substitute ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, but the final consistency will be slightly different. This recipe was specifically developed using table cream. For a long time, I made brigadeiros without adding cream, and I have also experimented with regular refrigerated heavy whipping cream. After testing different versions, I’ve found that 100 grams of table cream gives me my favorite texture: creamy and soft while still firm enough to roll beautifully. If I’m making brigadeiro simply to eat warm with a spoon, I’ll sometimes skip the cream altogether.
For cake filling: Cook to approximately 205°F. For an even softer filling, increase the table cream to 200 grams.
Chocolate: Use milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate depending on your preference. Other flavorings can also replace some or all of the chocolate.
Coatings: Try chocolate sprinkles, colorful sprinkles, chocolate flakes, shredded coconut, finely chopped nuts, freeze-dried strawberry powder, Nido powdered milk, granulated sugar, or cinnamon sugar.
Freezing the brigadeiro dough: After cooking, spoon the brigadeiro onto plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Place inside a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature before rolling.
Cocoa powder: In Brazil, brigadeiro is traditionally often made with Nescau, a sweetened chocolate drink powder similar to Nesquik. You can also make brigadeiro with unsweetened cocoa powder, but I personally don’t use either one anymore because I prefer the smoother texture and richer flavor I get from using real chocolate. If you want to use cocoa powder instead, you can replace the chocolate with about 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. You can use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder depending on your preference.
Nutrition
Serving: 1brigadeiro | Calories: 80kcal