Whether inspired by the 2016 Rio Olympics or by a love of chocolate, you will find these Brazilian Fudge Balls a tasty treat for any occasion. 

The Inspiration

The eyes of the world are focused on Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics, myself included. This allows us to see the best athletes the world has to offer. This also allows the world to learn what Brazil has to offer through different television broadcasts and various Op-Ed’s. Invariably these accent stories tell us about the nightlife, culture and the food of the host city and nation.

While I was watching one of the events this past week, my mind began to wonder what interesting food discoveries I might find if I was walking the streets. So I decided to go for a virtual stroll and happened upon Brigadieros, aka Brazilian Fudge Balls. The Brigadieros were colorful, cute and unlike your usual chocolate truffle. Similar to apple pie in America, in Brazil, the Brigadeiros holds iconic status. In Brazil you can find these treats at children’s birthday parties as well as swank, luxurious events. Its the popularity of the Brigedieros as well as the iconic status that made me have to try them

Making Brazilian Fudge Balls

You won’t find many ingredients in this recipe, and it doesn’t take that long. There will be a lot of stirring and you will need to pay attention so the chocolate doesn’t scorch.

See? Four ingredients for the mix, that’s it.

In a mixing bowl combine the sweetened condensed milk and the cocoa powder. This is to make a smooth mixture and to break up any clumps from the cocoa powder. You could sift the powder, but once it hits the milk it will clump back up. I used special dark for this recipe for the deeper flavor, but regular cocoa powder would work just fine.

Now add the softened salted butter and whisk until smooth. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but as smooth as you can get it.

Then scrape mixture into shallow, non-stick pan. I used my large sauté pan on the largest burner if you are using electric.

Turn heat to medium to medium low, and start stirring. What you are trying to accomplish is to scrape the batter off the pan so it doesn’t stick or scorch. Some people use a wooden spoon, I used a high temp rubber spatula. The mixture will thicken as it gets hotter. What you will be looking for is the mixture to get thick enough to come up off the pan when scraped and then ooze back into place after a few seconds. Somewhat like this.

Once you reach a thick consistency, add the vanilla extract and stir until incorporated. Then transfer mixture to a plate or platter that has been brushed with butter or pan spray. Be careful here, the mixture is very hot.

Now is the fun part, rolling. For my accents I used coconut flakes, chopped macadamia nuts and the traditional chocolate sprinkles.

Once the Brazilian Fudge Balls have been dressed in their party clothes, set them in their seats and let the fun begin.

These were a fantastic hit in my house. I came back home from work the next day and they were gone. That’s good because I had fun making and learning about these Brazilian Fudge Balls. Have some fun with these yourself. Enjoy!

Print

Brazilian Fudge Balls (Brigadieros)

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

14 mins

Total Time

1 hr 24 mins

 

Whether you are inspired by the 2016 Rio Olympics or your love of chocolate, you will find these Brazilian Fudge Balls a tasty treat for any occasion.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Brazilian

Servings: 32 Treats

Author: Nate

Ingredients

• 2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder dark or sweet
• 4 Tbsp Salted Butter softened
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together the condensed milk and cocoa powder. Scrape the milk cans with a rubber spatula.
2. Add softened butter to cocoa and milk mixture. Whisk until incorporated. Scrape mixture into a large, shallow, non-stick pan.
3. Turn burner on medium to medium low. Stir constantly, making sure to scrape the sides of the pan clean, until mixture becomes thick enough to reveal bottom of pan for a few seconds before mixture oozes back into place.
4. Once mixture reaches desired consistency, transfer chocolate to a plate or pan that has been lined with pan spray or butter. Let cool to room temperature for approximately an hour.
5. After the mixture is cooled and firmed up, you can then scoop or spoon mix into smallish walnut sized pieces. Rub your hands with butter or hand spray as the Brigadieros will be very sticky.
6. Roll the Brigadieros into chocolate jimmies, chopped nuts, candy sprinkles or whatever else you fancy on your Brigadieros.