This is a Brazilian treat that has been a beloved treat for generations and has served as a star of the show among other desserts at large gatherings. Even if it’s not one of the most fancy desserts, these are so smooth, decadent, rich, and lip-smacking, that once you taste them you are going to perpetually crave them when you have those sweet cravings. The Brigadeiro’s recipe is made with some basic, easily available ingredients. However, it takes a considerable amount of patience, a love for cooking, and most importantly, an equal (if not more pronounced) love for eating, to prepare it correctly. Since you have already read to this point, it can be assumed that you are a foodie who is thrilled to give this recipe a go. If that's the case, read on and find out how you can make the best Brigadeiro.
For this recipe, you are going to need a number of effective utensils. A large-sized saucepan, a spatula made of wood or silicone, a hand whisk, an ice cream, scoop, parchment paper, and your trusty refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- 395 gm condensed milk
- 112 gm butter
- 33 gm cocoa powder
- 4 gm vanilla extract
- 254 gm chocolate chips
- Pinch of salt
- Sugar (as per taste)
- Chocolate sprinkles (for garnish)
Method:
- You will first have to start with making the chocolate mixture. For that, you have to mix the butter, condensed milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract together in a large-sized saucepan.
- Once you have mixed these ingredients, place them on low to medium heat, and let the mixture become thicker than its initial watery consistency. You have to make sure to stir this concoction continuously so that no lumps or unwanted solid particles are formed.
- This step is quite important as you need to use your spatula to carefully scrape the bottom of the saucepan because some amount of ingredients is sure to get stuck there and not scraping them and mixing them with the rest of the liquid only leads to an inconsistent flavor.
- You need to let this mixture cook for around 12 to 15 minutes. If you have a cooking thermometer, then you can check the temperature of the mixture until it reaches 118°C.
- Once it is heated, you must make sure to turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid in order for the creamy mixture to cool down.
- Now, you can move on to adding the chocolate chips to the mixture.
- This step is crucial because the concoction cannot be very hot when you are pouring the chocolate chips into it. Hence, you have to please make sure to see that it has cooled down to some extent before you fold the chocolate chips in.
- Now, you can use the hand whisk to gently beat everything together and to make sure that the chocolate chips are adequately dissolved.
- At this stage, it is time for the mixture to be chilled so that you can consume it in all its glory.
- For this, you need to transfer the beautiful, creamy chocolatey liquid into a bowl, cover it well with some aluminum foil, and prop it into the refrigerator for the whole night.
- Since you are already putting so much care and gentleness into the recipe, you can take it many notches higher by creating beautiful shapes with the truffles before serving.
- After your chocolate treat has frozen overnight, use the ice cream scoop to form tiny balls that are around three cm in diameter.
- It is very easy to shape these balls as you just have to roll them between your palms and take a look so that there are no rough edges.
- Once these balls are made, you have to gently place them on a fancy dish lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper will prevent your treats from sticking to the plate and ruining their shape.
- At the end, sprinkle a dash of powdered sugar, or chocolate sprinkles to give it that pretty look before serving it.
In case you end up with a mixture that turns out to be very sticky, you can put it in the refrigerator for an hour in order for it to become firmer. You may face an issue with the concoction becoming really dry, and if that is the case, please add a small amount of sweet condensed milk. This will help to give it the moisture that it needs.
If you are looking forward to making this dish for a big party of people, then please remember that it is best consumed when chilled so you can make these truffles in advance, but please keep them stored in the refrigerator before serving to your guests. If you want to give your Brigadeiros a fancier look, then you can serve them in small paper bowls or even wrapped up with colorful, interesting wrapping paper for that extra oomph.
While the Brigadeiro is a splendid Brazilian treat if you commit to this recipe and add some amount of patience and love to it, you are sure to crave it every now and then, and who knows, it may become your next favorite, even surpassing a warm tray of delicious Brazilian pastry.
This is such a versatile treat that you need not be limited to a simple, chocolatey flavor while preparing them. You can experiment with adding in coconut, walnuts, candy, sprinkles, or even melted caramel while making the Brigadeiros. If you add a pinch of salt or a teensy bit of coffee powder to the combination, you will be left with a beautiful flavor that is sure to win hearts.