Brigadeiro are Brazilian chocolate truffles. They are super chocolatey and have the most wonderful, fudgy texture.
I first encountered these Brazilian fudge balls on a solo trip to Rio de Janeiro in my early twenties. Being a dessert nerd and a chocolate lover, I was thrilled with these tasty chocolate fudge balls and immediately knew I wanted to serve this Brazilian treat in my bakery when I got home!
They look quite similar to Scottish truffles, but the flavor and texture are totally different - rich, smooth, gooey, and full of flavor. I have since used them as a super easy sweet treat to bring to birthday parties or dinner parties. They are also the perfect dessert to slip into packed lunches.
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Why You'll Love This Brigadeiro Recipe
- Only 4 ingredients and very easy to make.
- Bite-sized sweet treats, great for parties.
- Easy to adapt for holidays with different toppings.
Brigadeiro Ingredients
Chocolate brigadeiro are made with just a handful of ingredients.
- Condensed Milk - Sweetened condensed milk is a vital ingredient. You can usually find it in the baking aisle in the grocery store.
- Dark Chocolate - I like to use dark chocolate but you could use milk chocolate or white chocolate if you prefer. Make sure it is real chocolate, and not chocolate chips or a chocolate candy bar.
- Butter - You can use salted or unsalted butter, whichever you prefer.
- Vermicelli - Chocolate sprinkles are the classic coating for this Brazilian truffle, but you can use any topping you like, see the section below for inspiration.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden spatula - I find a flat wooden spatula is best for scraping the bottom of the pot, but a wooden spoon or regular spatula will also be fine.
- Paper cups - Mini muffin cases are perfect for holding brigadeiro.
How To Make Brigadeiro
The mixture for this easy brigadeiro recipe comes together in just 10 minutes.
Add Ingredients
Break the chocolate into pieces and add to a medium saucepan, along with the butter and condensed milk.
Warm pan on medium heat, stirring the entire time while the ingredients melt together.
Cook
Turn the temperature down to medium-low heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly. When stirring, try to scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing sticks and burns.
Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens.
Test
Once the brigadeiro mixture has reached the right consistency, you should be able to draw a line through the middle of the mixture and it should take about 2 seconds to fill back in.
The whole cooking process should take around 10 minutes.
Cool
Remove from the heat and pour the brigadeiro mix into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool.
Once it's at room temperature, you can transfer it to the fridge until it is completely chilled (1-2 hours).
Roll
Scoop out some of the mixture with a spoon and use your hands to roll it into little balls, about the size of a walnut.
I find it's easier to roll when the mixture is chilled, but if it is too firm then let it sit out at room-temp for a while first.
Decorate
Roll the small balls in a small bowl of vermicelli, or whatever topping you like - see the section below for some inspiration.
Place them into paper cups and enjoy!
How To Decorate Brazilian Chocolate Balls
The classic Brazilian brigadeiros are rolled in vermicelli, but there is so much more you can do with these than just the traditional chocolate sprinkles!
Here are some ideas:
- Rainbow sprinkles - perfect for a birthday party.
- Chopped pistachios to make pistachio brigadeiros
- Coconut flakes
- Cocoa nibs
- Cocoa sugar - Mix a few tablespoons of sugar with a little cocoa powder for an elegant coating.
- Seasonal Sprinkles - Roll in seasonal sprinkles to make brigadeiro for different special occasions (e.g. Christmas, Valentines Day, etc)
Activity Idea
Decorating brigadeiro is a super fun activity to do with the kids!
Once you have made and chilled the mixture, fill candy cups with various toppings and let them roll and decorate their own brigadeiros.
Chocolate vs Cocoa Powder
Traditional brigadeiro are actually made with unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate powder. This is also how we made them for years in the bakery.
However, when experimenting with my recipe to make this recipe post, I recipe tested lots of different versions and methods, and I found that by far the best brigadeiro were made using real chocolate.
Real chocolate just has a completely superior flavor that is unmatched by any kind of cocoa powder. You can use powder if you prefer, but if you choose to go for the chocolate, your taste buds will thank you!
If you do want to make these Brazilian sweets the traditional way with cocoa powder, leave out the chocolate and sub for ¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder, then proceed with the rest of the recipe as normal.
How to Store Brigadeiro
Store your brigadeiro in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Brigadeiro Recipe FAQs
Chocolate truffles are made with chocolate and heavy cream, whereas brigadeiro are made with sweetened condensed milk. Brigadeiro have a more chewy, gooey texture and are more like chocolate fudge balls.
Although traditional brigadeiro recipes use cocoa powder or chocolate milk powder, many artisan makers in Brazil are using real chocolate in their brigadeiro these days.
I tested many versions of the recipe and found that using real chocolate gave a far superior texture and flavor.
While there is no official title, brigadeiro are often referred to as the national dessert of Brazil.
More Bite-sized Chocolate Treats
Looking for more mini dessert recipes to appeal to your chocolate sweet tooth? Try these:
Recipe
Brigadeiro Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk 14oz / 397g
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter 14g
- 3.4 oz Dark Chocolate 100g
- Chocolate Sprinkles (to decorate)
Equipment
- Wooden Spatula or wooden spoon
Instructions
- Break the chocolate into pieces and add it to a saucepan along with the butter and condensed milk.1 can (397 g) Sweetened Condensed Milk, 3.4 oz (100 g) Dark Chocolate, 1 tablespoon (14 g) Unsalted Butter
- Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until everything has melted and is starting to thicken.
- Make sure you are continually scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid burning. I like to use a flat wooden spatula, but any heatproof utensil will do. Keep cooking until you can draw a line in the middle of the mixture, and it takes about 2 seconds to fill back in. This process should take about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it cool. Transfer to the fridge once it is no longer hot.
- Once the mixture is completely chilled, use a teaspoon to scoop some of it out, about the size of a walnut. Roll into a ball in your hands.
- Roll the chocolate ball in sprinkles, chopped nuts, or a topping of your choosing. Place into a paper liner and enjoy.Chocolate Sprinkles
L Henderson
Isn't vermicelli a pasta?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi there,
It is a kind of pasta, yes. But in this cake I'm talking about chocolate sprinkles. In europe they are called Vermicelli (named after the pasta I think!).
Any chocolate sprinkles are fine 🙂
Jules
Rachel FG
Does this recipe with with milk chocolate?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Rachel,
Yes you can definitely make brigadeiro with milk chocolate! The flavor won't be quite as deep and chocolatey, and they will be a bit sweeter than when made with dark chocolate - but they will still be delicious.
Jules
Bonnie
Love this idea! Do you have a link to where you bought your chocolate vermicelli? I love the look of yours in the photos vs. plain chocolate sprinkles. Thank you!!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Bonnie,
Hmmm I bought mine in a grocery store in Germany, but let me do a little digging and see if I can't find them online somewhere for you. I'll get back to you!
Jules
Mary
In the U.S. these called "jimmies" or just chocolate sprinkles.
Nicole
I would like to mail this candy to my daughter and was wondering does it ship well? does it melt, does it need to be packed in ice?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Nicole,
To be honest I have never tried shipping brigadeiro so I can't give you much of an answer! They are fairly soft so I imagine they would need to be packaged very well to stop them from being damaged.
They don't need to be refrigerated so that shouldn't be an issue.
Sorry I can't be more helpful on this!
Jules
Norma
I love truffles but I am not spending THE EXPENSIVE prices I see this is a perfect recipe. Thanks
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Norma,
Yay! I hope you love these ones! They are definitely quick and easy, and super fudgy!
Jules
Minnie Straton
Choccy decadence in a bite-sized ball - love it!
Lewis
Gotta try these out!