These chocolatey Brazilian treats are endlessly customisable to fit your sweet tooth preferences – and they’re quick and easy for those in a last-minute romantic rush
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f you’re not au fait with these soft, chocolatey treats, you clearly haven’t spent much time in Brazil, where, in the words of blogger Olivia Mesquita, they’re national treasures, “a must-have at special celebrations, from kids’ parties to weddings”. As content creator Camila Hurst puts it, “It’s basically not a party without them.” Quick and simple to make from everyday ingredients, they’re also an ideal last-minute gift for someone you love.
Older recipes tend to call for hot chocolate powder, but plain cocoa powder makes for a less intensely sweet result. Mesquita’s book, Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking, uses dark chocolate, and TV chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz suggests combining the two. But, delicious as the results are, they’re more like dense, buttery chocolate truffles than light, silky party treats. Like Yotam Ottolenghi, I’ve gone for four tablespoons of cocoa, but feel free to adjust this to suit your palate.
Chef Natalia Pereira told the New York Times that her mother in Minas Gerais would stir milk and sugar together over the wood stove to produce her brigadeiros – though homemade condensed milk is easier than I expect, the flavour is lost here, so I’d recommend the tinned variety.
