Brigadeiros e Beijinhos

Translation: Brigadeiro doesn't really have a direct translation but beijinho means kiss

Pronunciation: bri-ga-deiro e bei-ji-nho

If you look up popular Brazilian desserts, you will likely see these little brown balls with sprinkles on top. If you look a bit more you will find little white balls with a clove on top. Those are brigadeiros and beijinhos. Brigadeiros are chocolate balls with chocolate sprinkles on top. Made with only butter, cocoa powder, and sweetened condensed milk, these are so easy to make and so delicious. They are also smaller so you can’t stop eating them. For those who are not chocolate fans, there are beijinhos. Pretty much the same as brigadeiros, but using coconut instead of chocolate.

The history behind brigadeiros is actually very interesting. 1945 was a presidential election year in Brazil. One of the candidates was Eduardo Gomes. He was good-looking, single, and in the military. His rank title was Brigadeiro. To promote his campaign, parties were organized to raise funds and visibility. For the parties, they invented a new sweet to be sold, The Brigadeiro. They used condensed milk instead of milk and sugar. Gomes lost the election but the treat became very popular and now it is eaten in some other parts of the world.

In my family, brigadeiros and beijinhos were at every single birthday party no matter if the party was for a 1-year-old or an 80-year-old. The sweet is typically

eaten in ball form at room temperature but can also be eaten with a spoon right after it is done cooking. My mom would eat brigadeiros or beijinhos with a spoon during college to help her stay alert while studying for finals. Some of my earliest memories include rolling up brigadeiros and beijinhos with my mom. I would roll it in the sprinkles and after we were done I would lick the spoon. This is probably my favorite chocolate sweet because it reminds me of my family and the good memories we share.

Info from: https://sweetstone.com.au/a-brief-brigadeiro-history/

Recipe:

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Makes about 20 brigadeiros and 20 beijinhos (depending on how big you roll them)

Difficulty: 1/5

Ingredients for Brigadeiro (chocolate):

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

3 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 tbsp of butter

Chocolate Sprinkles

Ingredients for Beijinho (coconut):

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp of butter

Coconut Flakes

Cloves

Instructions for Brigadeiro:

1. In a small pot mix together the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, and butter

2. Put the heat to low and stir continuously

3. It will be done when the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The best way to test this is to lift up the side of the pot. If it all slides down it is ready.

4. Put the mixture in a separate plate. To make brigadeiro balls wait until it is cooled a bit or you can just eat the mixture warm

5. Take a bit of brigadeiro and roll into a ball. Coat the outside with chocolate sprinkles and put into a truffle wrapper

6. Enjoy

Instructions for Beijinho:

1. In a small pot mix together the sweetened condensed milk and butter

2. Put the heat to low and stir continuously

3. It will be done when the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The best way to test this is to lift up the side of the pot. If it all slides down it is ready.

4. Put the mixture in a separate plate. To make beijinho balls wait until it is cooled a bit or you can just eat the mixture warm

5. Take a bit of beijinho and roll into a ball. Coat the outside with coconut flakes and put a clove on top. Put into a truffle wrapper

Tips and tricks:

• Add heavy cream to thicken up the brigadeiro and make it into a filling for a cake

• You can use different types of sprinkles and chocolate to make different combinations (white chocolate, nutella, nuts)