Chocolate-Cinnamon Brigadeiro Recipe

Brazilian cuisine has its fair share of flavorful main dishes and is also known for bringing us the delicious Brazilian truffle, brigadeiro. These bite-sized chocolate wonders are made from just a few simple ingredients and are super velvety and smooth. So what makes this truffle different from the standard truffle you ask? Traditional truffles have a hard shell while brigadeiros are softer and closer to fudge in texture. 

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "One of my favorite things about brigadeiros is how they look so fancy and upscale. They're super easy to make and work well for any type of event ranging from a dinner party to a casual book club meeting. I like adding Ceylon cinnamon to my version because it has a distinct and delicate flavor profile that sets it apart from the other cinnamon varieties. It brings a gentle warmth and adds a hint of sophistication to this fancy dessert."

We only need 5 ingredients to make these gorgeous brigadeiro truffles. Grab some butter, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, Ceylon cinnamon, and chocolate sprinkles. "You can of course substitute standard cinnamon here but if you want to use Ceylon cinnamon, they sell it at the healthy type of grocery stores or of course, online." Hahn shares.

To start off we'll need to spread about 1 teaspoon of butter on a 10-inch plate to coat it for our brigadeiro balls. "I do this by just holding a stick of butter with an open end and apply it to the surface of a plate. Set that aside while we work on the chocolate mixture. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into a medium pot and bring the heat to medium. Once melted add the sweetened condensed milk. Then add the cocoa powder to a small mesh sifter and sift it into the pot. 

"If you don't have a small sifter, you can just sprinkle it in a little bit at a time. This will help it blend well with the butter and milk instead of clumping," Hahn explains. Stir to incorporate, then add the cinnamon. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently. "At first it might not seem like it will thicken, but as the ten minutes pass, you will have the thick batter we're looking for," Hahn shares.

Once the batter is thick, spread it out onto the buttered plate somewhere between ¼-inch and ½-inch thick. Then place it into the fridge for an hour for it to harden a bit and get ready for the rolling step.

When the hour has passed, pull the plate from the fridge and spoon out about 2 tablespoons to form a ball of the thick mixture. "I use gloves for this job but if you don't have any on hand you can add a little butter to your hands to keep the mixture from sticking," Hahn explains. Once you have a ball, roll it in the chocolate sprinkles and then place it on some parchment paper or straight onto a serving dish. "The brigadeiro can be made ahead of time and will last for over a week if kept in a sealed container in your fridge," Hahn shares. The deep, rich taste will win you over immediately and have you adding this to your list of desserts sure to impress!