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Bicho-de-pé
Bicho-de-pé: pink strawberry brigadeiro balls rolled in sugar, made here with freeze-dried strawberries
Pink balls of fudge in a paper cup, sitting in a row between the chocolate brigadeiros: that is bicho-de-pé, a fixture of children's parties in São Paulo and Rio. The odd name comes from a tiny burrowing flea, which the speckled pink sweet supposedly resembles, but it tastes nothing but fruity and creamy. Brazilian cooks usually flavour it with strawberry gelatin powder, which is not vegetarian; this version uses freeze-dried strawberry powder, which gives a brighter, real-fruit flavour and a natural pink. Find freeze-dried strawberries in supermarket baking aisles and crush them yourself. Over-thickening is the commonest mistake: cooked too long, the brigadeiro turns hard and sugary once cold. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat as soon as the mixture slides away from the base as one piece; it firms more as it cools.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, ½ oz butter, three-quarters of the ½ oz freeze-dried strawberries and 2 tbsp double cream in a non-stick pan. Add 1 drop pink food colouring if you want a brighter pink.
Step 2: Stir over a medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, until the mixture thickens and slides off the base of the pan in one piece when tilted.
12 minStep 3: Spread on a buttered plate, cover and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, or chill 30 minutes.
Step 4: Mix 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar with the rest of the ⅛ oz freeze-dried strawberries. With buttered hands, roll level teaspoons of the fudge into balls, roll them in the pink sugar and set in paper cases.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 85 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bicho-de-pé take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sweetened condensed milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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