Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls)

A recipe for Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls)! Sweetened condensed milk is simmered with butter and cocoa powder until thickened, then rolled in sprinkles.

Secret Recipe Club

After a month off in December, Group D of the Secret Recipe Club is back for January!

For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes a group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified reveal day.

I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog.

This month, I was assigned to a personal favorite blog, Bewitching Kitchen! The author, Sally, was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. She has also spent time in California and Paris before settling into her current Manhattan, Kansas working with the Biochemistry Department of Kansas State University.

In addition to her job and cooking, she is quite active! Hobbies include golf, running, and P90X. Since updating this post, she has also started a cookie-centric blog called For The Love of Cookies!

Since my blog is quite lacking in South American recipes, I wanted to choose one of Sally’s many Brazilian dishes. I picked one that has been on my bucket list for quite a while, Brigadeiros.

Other great recipes I have pinned for later include: Pasteis, Cocada de Forno, Shrimp Moqueca, Oeufs a la Neige, Canja de Galinha, and Tlayuda.

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls)

I am so glad I picked Sally’s Brigadeiros! They come together with only a handful of ingredients and the resulting texture is fantastic.

The Brigadeiro was created in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1940s and named after Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes. They have since become one of the most well known Brazilian treats and are especially popular at birthday parties and other celebrations.

Sweetened condensed milk is simmered on the stove with butter, cocoa powder, and a pinch of cinnamon to create a thick and fudge-like texture. After cooling, the mixture is formed into balls and coated in sprinkles.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

For a fun variation, try Sally’s Coconut Brigadeiros or my Brigadeiro de Churros (Brazilian Dulce de Leche Fudge Balls).

Looking for more Brazilian recipes?

Try my:

• Pastel de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Pastry)
• Cachorro Quente (Brazilian Hot Dog)
• Esfirra de Carne Moída (Ground Beef Esfirra)

A Few Brigadeiro Tips

The trick to forming these Brigadeiros is to cook them to just the right consistency, similar to fudge. You want the condensed milk to become thickened enough to hold their shape so the balls can be rolled in sprinkles.

You can tell when it has reached this point by sliding a wooden spoon through the mixture on the stove and it continues to stay parted and pulls away from the edges.

Stir constantly (especially towards the end of cooking) to keep the condensed milk from sticking and burning on the bottom and sides of the pan.

Sift the cocoa powder before adding to the sweetened condensed milk to keep the texture smooth.

I rolled most of the Brigadeiros in chocolate sprinkles, but Claire wanted to add some color to hers during the latest photography update.

If using colored sprinkles, take care when lightly moistening your hands with water. If they are too wet, the colors may bleed.

I used a small cookie scoop to form the individual fudge balls. If you do this, be careful to not break the scoop with the thick mixture. I keep the scoop lightly moistened and do not press the lever.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Massalé Roasted Chicken from Oh! You Cook!
• Mini-Quiches with Duxelles and Baby Broccoli from Bewitching Kitchen
• Stove Top Tamale Pie from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• American Chop Suey from Shockingly Delicious
• Hummus and Pita from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Coconut-Almond Barfi from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Baked Ham and Swiss Cheese Sliders from Lavender and Lovage
• Creamy Stovetop Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese from Making Miracles
• Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls from Loving Life
• Black Bean & Chorizo Soup from The Spiffy Cookie
• Sesame Chicken with Ginger Rice from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls) Recipe

Adapted from Bewitching Kitchen

Print Pin

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls)

A recipe for Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls). Sweetened condensed milk is simmered with butter and cocoa powder until thickened, then rolled in sprinkles.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Brazilian

Keyword Brazil, Brazilian, chocolate, dessert, fudge, South America, sweetened condensed milk

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 20 Brigadeiros

Ingredients

• 14 ounces (397 grams) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoon (9 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
• Pinch cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (90 grams) Chocolate sprinkles for coating

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, combine the condensed milk, butter, cocoa powder, and cinnamon over medium heat. Stir often until butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and pulling from the bottom of the pan, 10-17 minutes.
• Allow to cool until room temperature or chill in the refrigerator.
• Fill a small bowl with cold water. Fill another small bowl with chocolate sprinkles.
• Wet your hands and roll about a 1/2 tablespoon size of chocolate into a ball. Coat in chocolate sprinkles and place in a mini paper cup. Repeat with remaining chocolate.
• Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.