Brigadeiros

Brigadeiros – for the uninitiated – are Brazilian chocolate truffles and they are out of this world delicious. Truth be told, I am new to the world of brigadeiros, but my pal, Anna Francese Gass, has a recipe for them in her cookbook, Heirloom Kitchen  – which just launched, by the way – and although there are many recipes in the book that I am excited about making (Anna’s mom’s meatballs come to mind . . . ) the brigadeiros seemed like a good place to begin, as I love an easy, fast, super tasty treat – and these are all that and then some.
Anna’s book is a collection of 100 mouth-watering recipes, shared with her by immigrant women from around the country. The book is beautifully photographed and each woman not only contributes recipes, but also her “immigration” story. It is completely enchanting, as is its author. I met Anna only recently (and her sister, whom I also adore), but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. And if I had any doubt that we’d be fast friends (which, honestly, I did not) making these brigadeiros has bonded me to her forever (I mean they kind of taste like a spoonful of incredibly yummy brownie or chocolate cake batter, but in a good way). I made some tiny tweaks to the recipe, adding salt and vanilla, and I decreased the amount of heavy cream called for in the original and added a tad more cocoa powder, to insure they set up properly. I also covered the candies in shredded coconut because chocolate plus coconut = perfect (and covered a few in funfetti sprinkles cause funfetti is just how I roll . . . ). Finally, please check out an article in which I discuss how I keep my oven clean when baking. 

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Brigadeiros

Recipe Author Jessie Sheehan

Ingredients

• One 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• butter or oil for greasing your hands
• sprinkles and/or unsweetened shredded coconut for decorating

Instructions

• Heat the sweetened condensed milk, cream and cocoa powder in a medium pan. Over medium heat and stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it thickens and you can scrape a heatproof rubber spatula along the bottom of the pan and leave a trail (this is easiest to do if your pan is large enough so that the mixture is pretty shallow), about 20 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until firm.
• Pour the sprinkles and/or coconut in a small bowl. Scoop teaspoon-fulls of batter and with greased hands (butter or oil will work) roll the batter into balls and then roll the balls in the topping of your choice.
• Chill before serving and expect them to disappear upon doing so.