Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Balls)

Brazil's favorite party sweet: sweetened condensed milk, butter and cocoa stirred on the stove until thick, rolled into fudgy balls and coated in chocolate sprinkles. Makes about 25.

From Sofia's recipes created, collected and generationally handed down in Sweden and the USA.

Brigadeiros coated in chocolate sprinkles in brown paper candy cups on a platter, one bitten to show the fudgy center
  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 15 min
  • Cool and chill 1 hr 30 min
  • Total 2 hr 5 min
  • Yield About 25 balls

Jump to: Ingredients | Instructions | Tips | Print recipe

Brigadeiros are at every birthday party in Brazil, and they are one of the simplest candies there is: a can of sweetened condensed milk, a spoonful of butter and some cocoa, stirred over low heat until the mixture turns thick and glossy. Once it cools, it rolls into soft, fudgy balls that are coated in chocolate sprinkles and set in little paper cups.

This is the traditional recipe, with nothing changed. The only trick is patience at the stove: keep stirring until the mixture pulls away from the bottom of the pan in one mass, or the balls will not hold their shape.

Ingredients

  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for your hands
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • About 3/4 cup chocolate sprinkles, for coating
  • About 25 mini paper candy cups

Instructions

  1. Cook. Put the condensed milk, butter and cocoa in a heavy nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and sides, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy and slides away from the bottom of the pan in one mass when you tilt it.
  2. Cool. Scrape the mixture onto a buttered plate and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for about 1 hour, until it is firm enough to handle.
  3. Roll. Butter your hands lightly. Roll heaping teaspoons of the mixture into 1-inch balls.
  4. Coat. Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles until it is completely covered, and set it in a mini paper cup.
  5. Serve. Serve at room temperature. Brigadeiros are best the day they are made; keep any extras covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and let them stand 20 minutes before serving.

Tips

  • If the mixture is too soft to roll, it was not cooked long enough. Return it to the pan and stir a few minutes more.
  • Chocolate sprinkles labeled granulado or chocolate jimmies give the classic look. Rainbow sprinkles work for a party.
  • A heavy nonstick pan and low heat keep the condensed milk from scorching on the bottom.

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