Quinoa & Coconut Brigadeiro (Brazil)
This Recipe
This iconic Brazilian sweet is traditionally made with condensed milk, butter, chocolate AND rolled in sprinkles; it's a fabulous ball of sugar.
It took a lot of experimentation to get a close substitute but here it is - without the naughtiness and most the taste. Try them as a snack or healthier dessert option. There is still natural sugar in these so try to share...
Makes 6 - 8 brigadeiro.
Ingredients
- 6 large dates pitted
- 2 giant spoonfuls of tahini
- 1/4 cup (85g) raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons (35g) of coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon (18ml) raw melted honey - can add more to taste
- Coconut flakes for coating
- Quinoa for coating (this should be pre-cooked and cooled)
Steps
Soak pitted dates in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes. This will help you get the smooth consistency required for proper brigadeiro. Drain water and set aside.
Mix soaked dates, melted honey, cacao powder, coconut milk and tahini in a food processor. Ideally you want to get a smooth yet firm texture that can be rolled into a ball. You may need to add cacao powder, honey or dates to get the right consistency. Play around with it but try to avoid adding tahini as this will alter the taste.
Once you're satisfied with the texture, put mixture in a bowl and pop into the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes but ideally up to 2 hours. The longer the time, the firmer the mixture will be and the easier to roll.
Next, prepare your coating ingredients (coconut flakes and quinoa) by spreading them out on large plates.
To finish, remove brigadeiro mixture from fridge and use it to form small ball shapes. (If the mixture is still sticky try chilling it for longer and even potentially putting it in the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes.) Then roll the ball shapes around in coating ingredients until fully covered. You can roll them in quinoa, coconut flakes or both.
Place finished brigadeiro back in fridge for a 10 - 15 minutes to allow final chill time (the heat from your hands may cause them to fall apart and this will give them that extra firmness.) Enjoy your masterpieces!
