Basic recipe for brigadeiros (soft chocolate truffles)

Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan. Stir in the condensed milk and bring to the boil.

Stir the cocoa powder with a few tablespoons of water to a thick paste and add it to the milk. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon, while the mixture gently boils at a low setting, until it is so thick that you can draw a line through it that no longer runs.

Pour over into a (greased) flat dish and allow to cool. Let stiffen in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Cut the mixture into equal squares and roll it with a cool hand into nice, round balls. Roll directly through the topping.

Place the brigadeiros on a dish and let them stiffen further in the refrigerator.