You might be wondering, what is a BRIGADEIRO? First and quick answer: our favorite dessert ever. Ok, ok! we know that it doesn't help. So we tried to put ours emotions on the side and come up with a more technical answer.
Brigadeiro is a Brazilian sweet treat made from sweetened condensed milk, butter and chocolate (powder) that is slowly cooked until it gets a smooth and rich consistency. After it cools down, it's molded into rounded shapes, covered with chocolate sprinkes and placed in mini baking cups. This simple preparation originated lots of other recipes. The most classics are coconut (little kiss) and the pink brigadeiro, but there's a lot of variations, walnuts, white chocolate, caramel crunch, coffee, just to name a few. You can eat as dessert, snack, party favor, or paired with a good shot of expresso at your 5pm craving (our favorite).Brigadeiro is popular because anyone can make it. It is democratic because you can cook it your way, with your favorite ingredient or jumping the shape step and eat it straight from the pan (good for lazies). Brigadeiro is milky, chocolaty, it's deliciousness! Yummmm...
ABOUT ITS CREATION
Brigadeiro is the portuguese word for Brigadier, the army position between a Colonel and a General. Everything started in 1946, with this guy Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, when he decided to run for Brazil's presidency. History tells that he was tall and very good looking and in the early days of his campaign he drove a lot of women attention.
As passionate women always do unbelievable stuff, these women decided to do something to help the guy get the job. The idea was to bake and sell treats to raise funds for his campaign. And so they did.
The recipe made with sweetened condensed milk, butter and cocoa powder became a best seller and people started to call it "the brigadier's sweet".
Unfortunately the handsome guy never got the chair, but ever since, this treat became much more popular than any other sweet and politician in Brazil.
