Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3½ ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (approximately ¾ cup)
- Cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles or vermicelli, and/orchocolate-covered espresso beans, for garnish
How to Make It
- In a small, preferably nonstick pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sweetened condensed milk, salt, heavy cream, corn syrup, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the espresso powder, cocoa powder, and chopped chocolate and whisk to melt chocolate. Cook on medium-low for 10 to 15 minutes, whisking constantly. The mixture should just lightly bubble around the edges, so reduce the heat if it’s cooking too quickly.
- When it’s ready, the mixture will pull away from the sides and slide around the bottom. Transfer to a metal bowl and don’t scrape the bottom of the pot. Let cool for 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge.
- Cool the mixture completely before rolling the brigadeiros. This will take likely between 3 and 4 hours. I actually took the bowl out after 2 hours and used a small, greased ice cream scoop to scoop out 24 equal mounds of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then, I put the mounds back into the fridge to firm up for another 20 minutes. The increased surface area makes it cool faster.
- Make sure your hands are greased and roll the mixture into even-sized balls. Then, it is up to your imagination how to garnish. You can simply roll in cocoa powder or sprinkles.
