Brigadeiros - Brazilian Chocolate Truffle Candies

Grease a small pan with 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Pour in the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk and 5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk the mixture together over medium heat until the butter melts and the cocoa is fully integrated into the sweetened condensed milk.

Switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon. Continue stirring over medium heat till the mixture begins to boil.Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring constantly. Scrape the sides of the pan from time to time to make sure the mixture doesn't stick or burn. Do not stop stirring; if you leave it alone for even a minute it will burn.

After 10-15 minutes the mixture will begin to thicken and pull away from the sides of the pan. You can run your spoon through the middle of the mixture and a valley will appear-- it should take around 3-5 seconds for the valley to close. At this point you're almost done. Continue stirring for 2 more minutes till batter is quite thick and collecting in the center of the pan. Resist the urge to eat the whole pan of brigadeiro batter. It's super tempting.

Remove pan from heat and pour the batter into a greased bowl.Refrigerate the batter for about 45 minutes until cool and somewhat firm.

Butter or oil your hands. Scoop the batter and form into small balls of about 2 teaspoons each, rolling between your greased hands.

Once they are rolled into balls, brigadeiros can be rolled in a variety of toppings. Here I've used sprinkles, coconut, nuts and mini chocolate chips. I've made several more suggestions above. After they are rolled, they are traditionally placed into mini paper baking cups. I didn't have any on hand when I photographed these brigadeiros, so I placed them directly onto my grandma's pink glass plate for a pretty presentation.

You can eat them right away, or chill them again till firm. Brigadeiros should be stored in the refrigerator to preserve their freshness, they will last about 1 week.