Brazilian chocolate truffles – Brigadeiro

Brazilian truffles, brazilian fudge, brigadeiro recipe

Brigadeiro

 Brazilian best loved sweet is usually served at birthday parties, but can also be found at any kind of party including weddings. It was created in the 1940s during the war and named after Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, who was a Brazilian Air Force brigadier.  He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1946 and 1950.  One version explains the name of the candy distributed nationally from the 50’s. One of them account that women in Rio de Janeiro, engaged in the campaign of Eduardo Gomes, prepared  brigadeiros or negrinhos (darkies)  as it was called then in the south of Brazil, at home and sold them on the street with the name of Brigadeiro, allocating money to the presidential campaign fund. It can be served as a creamed version over cakes as decoration, in shot glasses as small deserts or as little balls like truffles.

You can read my article about Brazilian food and customs at The Foodie Bugle

Brigadeiro, Brazilian national chocolate truffle

Recipe:
Original – chocolate flavour
. 1 can of good quality of condensed milk
. 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
. 7 tablespoons of drinking chocolate or 4 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder
. chocolate vermicelli or strands for decoration
Method
1. Place in a deep pot sweetened condensed milk, margarine and cocoa powder
2. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon
3. The mixture  until it thickens a bit and you can see the bottom of the pan
4. Let cool and then grease your hands with margarine to make the balls and wrap them in chocolate sprinkles  place them in small cases

chocolate strands I use

creamed version served in small shot glasses

Brigadeiro

a selection: original with dark chocolate strands, coffee or cappuccino flavoured  decorated with coffee flavoured strands,  filled with a cherry and decorated with red sugar sprinkles,  or decorated with a walnut, filled with salted caramel or decorated with a few chillies. You can add any flavour  or decoration to the original truffle recipe –  just experiment!

Save

Save

Share:

2 Comments

  1. Hanna @ Swedish Meatball
    May 17, 2011 / 9:41 am

    Wicked – I ate so many of these in Brazil, so addictive! Never made them but looks easy enough…

  2. May 19, 2011 / 9:22 pm

    Hi Hanna, they are delicious and very easy to make. It's a challenge not to eat them before they are ready!