I recently hosted a Brazilian-themed dinner at my house and we got to cook up some of my favorite dishes from the South American country. (I spent a year in Brazil as a highschool exchange student). Brigaderos are the cupcakes of Brazil. They are served at practically every social gathering and are super quick and easy to make.

Brigadeiros

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon of butter (not margarine)

2 tablespoons of Quick chocolate powder

Chocolate sprinkles to roll the chocolate balls

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and stir over medium heat. Let it come to a boil and keep stirring until it thickens. The tricky part is to remove the mixture from the heat at just the right time. If you remove it too soon, it will be too soft and won't roll easily. If you cook it too long, it will become lumpy and chewy. This part will require some trial and error. Just to give you an idea, I usually cook the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes. The right point to remove it from the stove is when the mixture gets thick enough that when you pull it with a wooden spoon you can see the bottom of the pan. (The entire mixture will start to pull off from the bottom of the pan)

Remove from heat and let cool about 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool completely. When it has completely cooled, it is ready to be rolled. Prepare your work space with a bowl of chocolate sprinkles and the paper cups. Butter your hands to roll otherwise the chocolate will stick to them. Scoop some mixture with a spoon, about a quarter sized amount, roll in your hands to make a ball shape and then drop in the sprinkles and cover the chocolate ball completely. Take the brigadeiros and place in tiny paper cups. This recipe should yield about 40-45 brigadeiros.