These soft strawberry condensed milk candies are made in a similar way to Brazilian brigadeiro. But instead of chocolate, they feature big strawberry flavor.
This strawberry brigadeiro recipe is a fruity twist on classic chocolate brigadeiro. They are creamy, soft and oh so good.
Flavored Brigadeiro Candies
If you have never made brigadeiro before, you have to give them a try. They use sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and a bit of butter to make a rich chocolate candy.
The flavor reminds me a bit of a tootsie roll, but softer and more pleasant to eat. We made a chocolate orange brigadeiro recipe a few years back, and they are still a favorite with my family.
So I thought it would be fun to do a different flavor twist. Using freeze-dried strawberries, you get a really concentrated fruit flavor.
Plus, mixed in the condensed milk, you get a really nice pink color. The shade makes them perfect as a homemade Valentine’s Day candy.
But don’t only make them for Valentine’s Day. They are so simple to make, you should enjoy them all year long.
Finishing Your Brigadeiros
Brigadeiro are traditionally rolled in a coating of chocolate sprinkles. You could do that for this recipe to get a chocolate dipped strawberry effect.
You could also just go ahead and dip them in melted chocolate if you wanted. The crisp shell and soft chewy center would be a fun combination.
They would also be cute rolled in pink, white, and red nonpareils. That would be especially fitting if you do make them for Valentine’s Day.
However, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of strawberry flavor. So I processed an extra bag of freeze-dried berries and rolled the balls in that.
The red coating looked great and tasted good too. Feel free to use shredded coconut or chopped nuts if you prefer.
Tips and Tricks
This recipe is pretty straightforward. You just cook the condensed milk, butter, and pulverized freeze-dried strawberries together.
As the mixture heats up, it will thicken. Keep stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pan and burning.
The mixture is done cooking when you can run your spatula through it, and the trail remains visible for at least 2-3 seconds.
Allow the mixture to cool completely before rolling it into balls. You can make them any size, but a Tablespoon or small cookie scoop works well.
Use damp or greased hands to shape the balls. Then roll them in whatever coating you desire.
How do you store brigadeiro?
Brigadeiro can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can store them in the refrigerator for a bit longer, but the texture isn’t quite the same when they are cold.
More Easy Candy Recipes:
If you are looking for simple red condensed milk recipes, red velvet truffles may be up your alley. You can add cute sprinkles to make them festive for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
You can make your own Mounds bar inspired candies as well. It just takes a few minutes to make the creamy coconut filling and then you dip them in chocolate for a perfect bonbon.
Or try making strawberry buttercream truffles. The middle is pretty in pink and loaded with strawberry flavor and the whole thing is coated in chocolate.
Strawberry Brigadeiro
Ingredients
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 0.8 oz. freeze-dried strawberries
- more freeze-dried strawberries, sprinkles, shredded coconut, or chopped nuts for coating the outside of the candies
Instructions
- Pulverize freeze-dried strawberries until they are a powder.0.8 oz. freeze-dried strawberries
- In a large skillet, stir together sweetened condensed milk and strawberry powder. Add butter and warm over medium low heat.14 oz. sweetened condensed milk, 1 Tablespoon butter
- Stir constantly until it thickens, about 4-5 minutes. It should be thick enough to hold the trail of your spoon for a few seconds as you stir.
- Remove from heat and chill until firm.
- Grease or dampen your hands, then roll the chilled mixture into small balls. Roll the balls in more strawberry powder or sprinkles. Place in small cupcake papers.
- Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for a week or two.
Andrea Nine
Monday 30th of January 2023
I absolutely MUST make these! Never heard of something like this but now won’t stop thinking about them.
Carlee
Monday 30th of January 2023
They are so easy and so good!