Brigadeiro. The quintessential birthday treat. A cross between fudge and caramel, this dessert rolls circles in every Brazilian kid’s dreams. You can also call them Brazilian chocolate truffles. Whatever you call them, you’ll struggle to eat just one.

Brigadeiro is the perfect birthday treat.

The main ingredients of brigadeiro are condensed milk and chocolate. Sprinkles are an important part of traditional brigadeiro, but other versions include rolling them in sugar — as if they weren’t already sweet enough!

This dessert takes many forms in Brazilian cuisine. It’s used as icing for cakes, rolled into balls, or even eaten straight from the plate with a spoon. Me? A spoonful of brigadeiro and a bowl of popcorn is all I need for a perfect movie night snack.

For this recipe, we’re going to roll them into tasty little balls.

Let’s get cooking.

TIME: 1 hour + 30 minutes –– including waiting time

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cup of condensed milk
• 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp of butter
• 100 grams of chocolate sprinkles
• A pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Set the stove to medium heat, let the pot get hot and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the condensed milk. Continue to stir. Add the chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Keep stirring for about 10 minutes. Once the mixture starts pulling away from the bottom of the pan, it’s ready for the next step. (Perfect brigadeiro is hard enough to keep its shape and soft enough so the sprinkles like it!)
2. Place it on a plate and let it cool for about an hour.
3. Once it’s cool, you’ll start rolling the brigadeiros using a little butter to oil your hands. They should be rolled into an inch and a half balls. Cover them with sprinkles and place each of them in their individual mini cupcake liners. Enjoy!