Bake Brazilian brigadeiros

You’ll need

Pans
Spoons
Bowls
Measuring spoons
Stoves and fuel
Ingredients (see below)

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Setting up this activity

Remember to ask your group if anyone has any allergies or dietary requirements before the session and adjust the recipe accordingly
You could ask the group to find out some information about other Brazilian traditions or foods to share during your meeting too.

Make some brigadeiros

Ingredients

1 can condensed milk
Four tablespoons cocoa powder
One tablespoon butter or margarine
50g chocolate sprinkles

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Serves: 6

Add the condensed milk, butter, and cocoa powder to a pan and mix everything together.
Light your stove and put the pan on to heat the mixture. Stir it well so that the ingredients dissolve. It’s ready when it begins to peel off the bottom of the pan, this usually take about 15 minutes.
When it’s ready, pour the mixture out into a bowl and let it cool. You can put the mixture into the fridge or freezer so that it cools quicker. Be careful that you don’t raise the temperature and ruin other food inside.
When it’s cool enough to handle, spread your hands with a little margarine or butter and form the brigadeiros (the balls) one by one.
Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles and arrange them on a plate.
Eat and enjoy!

Reflection

This activity was about being an international citizen and learning about different foods, festivals and culture in another country. Ask everyone to think about the session and share some of the things they’ve learned.

The activity was also about trying new things, had anyone tried a traditional brigadeiros before? What did everyone think of the ones they made together?

In Brazil, brigadeiros have a historical memory – but they’re also a popular part of many celebrations.

What foods do people associate with special occasions? People could think about birthday cakes, Diwali sweets, or sheer khurma at Eid. Does anyone have a special celebration food that other people may not have heard of?

Sometimes people come up with their own traditions. If you made your brigadeiros in an online meeting, challenge everyone to share them with their family or friends after the meeting’s ended.

If you made them in a face-to-face meeting, why not make a few extra for everyone to take home? Ask everyone to find something to celebrate with the people they share their brigadeiros with.

Maybe they could share some of the things they’ve found out about Brazil, too.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Cooking: Teach young people how to use cooking equipment safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Make sure it’s safe to use and follow manufacturers’ guidelines for use.
Fires and stoves: Make sure anyone using fires and stoves is doing so safely. Check that the equipment and area are suitable and have plenty of ventilation. Follow the gas safety guidance. Have a safe way to extinguish the fire in an emergency.
Food: Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.