Christmas Brigadeiro

Directions

• Grease a heavy-bottomed saucepan with 1 tablespoon of butter (both the bottom and sides).
• Place the condensed milk, cocoa, spices, 2 tbsp. of Cointreau, and 2 tablespoons of the butter.
• Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, constantly stirring with a whisk first then with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, constantly stirring, for about 14-16 minutes. First 8-10 minutes or so you won’t see serious changes, but very soon the mixture will become creamy and fudgy. It’s important to keep stirring the mixture even more vigorously as that’s the point it can easily burn.
• Pro-Tip: If you feel the mixture is boiling too fast or you see little bites of caramelization (They are totally fine and delicious – unless they are burnt) appear, simply remove the pan from the heat for 20-30 seconds. Reduce the heat and then return the pot back. You can also also add a small amount of extra butter, to cool down the cooking process (You can add up to one extra tablespoon – at once or divided and used throughout the cooking process.) You can also add an extra splash of orange liquor (up to 1 extra tablespoon.) to cool down the mixture.
• Pro-Tip 2: Pay attention to the bottom of your pan as it can easily start burning. If that happens (significantly), transfer the mixture into another pan, without scratching the bottom. However, during the cooking process you can see some tiny caramelized ‘drops’ develop in the mixture – they are totally fine and delicious – just chewy bits that makes Brigadeiros not as homogeneous yet equally good. However, if such pieces turn brown and you feel the burning smell – there is no much you can salvage the recipe. Bottom line: vigorously mix the mixture most of the time, and don’t leave the pot for a second, especially after 8-10 minutes have passed.
• As soon as it has thickened enough – until you can see the bottom of the pot for 2-3 seconds when dragging a spatula through – turn the heat off and remove the pot from heat. The overall cooking time should take between 12 and 14 minutes (or up to 16 minutes if you added extra Cointreau). Don’t overcook or you will have hard handy. Keep in mind the mixture thickens even more once cooled.
• Chill the mixture in the fridge for an hour.
• When the mixture has cooled, lightly wet your hands (or apply some butter), put a tablespoon of the chewy mixture on your hands, and roll into a small ball. Roll in the jimmies sprinkles.
• Refrigerate a bit and enjoy it! Keep refrigerated for up to one week. For the best result, remove from the refrigerator 10-15 minutes prior to serving.