One of my dear interpreting colleagues at university comes from Brazil. On top of winding each other up in our office, we also talk extensively about each other’s cultures. I am deeply fascinated by her stories about the history and cuisine of her home country, not only because I have never been there, but also because this allows me to understand the reasoning behind some of the more traditional dishes Brazil has to offer (and believe me when I say the cuisine is as diverse in the country as it is in Italy). One such typical concoction are brigadeiros.
Call them truffles, if you wish, they are not made with cream and chocolate (as is the case for the European counterparts), but by mixing boiled down condensed milk with cocoa powder. As a result, however, they tend to be sickly sweet. So much so, in fact, that even some Brazilians find them hardly palatable. In a bid to make this delicacy available to my lactose intolerant students, therefore, I decided to opt for a vegan variety. I used this recipe as a starting point and only slightly amended it. I will be honest: I am becoming more and more fascinated by how creative you have to be when you stop using traditional ingredients. Who would have thought to use pumpkin seeds in this? Not even in my wildest dreams. And yet, let me assure you, it works.
Ingredients (makes approximately 20)
- 120g pumpkin seeds, soaked in water overnight, then drained
- 56g dairy-free butter alternative
- 3 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 45g gluten-free cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 70g cocoa nibs
Method
- It couldn’t be easier, but do make sure you have soaked the pumpkin seeds overnight. Put all of the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a sharp blade, then process until you get a smooth paste. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
- Transfer the dark and luscious mixture to a bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This way it will be easier to roll them out.
- In the meantime, break up the cocoa nibs a little bit in the food processor (once you have washed and dried the bowl). You don’t want to end up with a cocoa dust, but also ensure the bigger pieces are broken into small ones. Transfer to a shallow plate.
- When the mixture has hardened enough, remove from the fridge and get ready to roll. I use a small ice cream scoop for this, but you can decide on the perfect size for your brigadeiros (I would suggest roughly 1/2 tablespoon).
- I discovered that, when the mixture is still very cold, the surface tends to harden quite quickly once you have rolled them out. Therefore, the cocoa nibs won’t stick. My solution for this was to portion all of the truffles first, then to roll them in pairs between my hands to make them smooth and, finally, into the cocoa nibs. When you do so, ensure you give them a good coating, then transfer to a serving plate.
- I was concerned these would melt once left outside for a prolonged period of time. Don’t worry, they won’t last that long anyway!
Baking with Attitude 