Brigadeiros

I was introduced to Brigadeiros 6 years ago when I first visited Brazil.  It would end better for my waist line if I didn't know about these, but that's another story and I do, so....  It's, basically, a Brazilian version of fudge, and they are really easy to make and really delicious.  My friends in Brazil tell me you can find these at just about every celebration from birthdays to get random togethers.  You can roll them in all sorts of fancy treats (nuts, coconut etc) but I see them most frequently rolled in sprinkles (the brown ones, in particular).

 All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz), 1 T of butter, and 3 T of (unsweetened) cocoa....plus...sprinkles.  Toss everything (minus the sprinkles) into a pan over medium heat and stir...stir...stir for ten minutes.

When it pulls away from the side of the pan, it's ready, but....I'm terrible at making candy, and I want a time limit....10 minutes was just about perfect.  At this point, let it cool, and you can even toss it in the fridge for awhile, but that's not necessary.  Once it's cooled, roll them into small balls (think, mini muffin size), and roll them in sprinkles.  You can serve them at room temperature, or chill them.