Tag Archives: Treats

Pimp my nuts

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Sugar and Chocolate encrusted peanuts

In the south of Brazil they call it ‘Amedoim Pim-Pim’, in Rio we call it ‘Torradão’… I’m open for suggestions for an English name. They’re peanuts covered in a crust of sugar and chocolate. This is my first attempt at making them and I’m 80% happy so far. Still need to improve the technique so I can get even more sugar and chocolate to stick to the peanuts.

This is actually a Brazilian recipe with a difference. To make it a little healthier and tastier, I added some ‘Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa & Berries‘ powder to it. Why? you may ask. Well, it’s part of our FoodBloggerConnect.com challenge, and also because…

“A daily 30g serving is high in Flavanols which are highly effective antioxidants. A source of Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium & Omega 3 (…) is specially processed to provide a high level of Flavanols & 75% reduced fat as compared to the Cocoa in dark chocolate products.”

Doesn’t that sound delicious? Ok, it doesn’t really but I was sure that with the right amount of sugar I could make it into a really more’ish treat.

So here’s the recipe for ‘Sugar and Chocolate encrusted peanut’ or Amendoim Pim-Pim:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 800g of jumbo ready-toasted peanuts
  • 1 cup of caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 2 tbs of chocolate drink powder*
  • 1/2 a tsp of baking powder
  • 2 tbs of Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa & Berries compost looking thing

*It’s rare to find popular Brazilian recipes which contain real coco powder. Most of the country is happy enough using ‘Nescau’ which is the local name for ‘Nesquick’. Ah, don’t worry about the Flaxseed if you don’t have any. The usual recipe does not use it anyway.

HOW TO PREPARE:

  1. Add the sugar and the water to a large pan or wok and let it simmer until it forms a clear syrup.
  2. Add the peanuts and chocolate powder and start stirring
  3. Lower the fire and continue stirring until the mixture starts glueing together and you can start seeing the bottom of the pan.
  4. Sprinkle the baking powder over the mixture. It will start frothing and the sugar will start to crystalise
  5. Add the Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa & Berries whatchmejig, and continue stirring
  6. Tip the whole gunk into a deep oven tray and put it in the oven at 150c.
  7. Bake in the oven for another 20 mins stirring it occasionally
  8. Remove from the oven and let it cool. When it cools down the nuts should be nice and covered in the mixture and be nice and crunchy
  9. Serve in little paper cones** or store in an air tight jar for those lonely rainy afternoons.

** I’m using bits torn out of my large stock of JungleDrums Magazine. Which is not only a great read but its beautifully designed pages add more Brazilianess to it.

Here are a few people on YouTube making the recipe (Portuguese only sorry) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLGP87yCLfY, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewj-S6jZluc, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvFvbRIELPA

Brigadeiro – Brazil’s famous party treat!

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No Brazilian kid’s party is complete without Brigadeiro. If you grew up in a Brazilian household these gooey chocolate truffles are by now permanently imprinted into our psyche and inhabit the same side of your brain as motherly love.

For this clip I recruited the help of some expert in Brigadeiro: KIDS! I know it’s child labour, but they didn’t seem to mind. The gorgeous looking children you can see here are my own (Olivia and Elvis) and Geoff and Tete’s kids (Laura and Ben). They were real stars! Especially Ben, who speaks with a very grown up ‘BBC presenter’ tone.

This Brigadeiro recipe could not be simpler and it should make around 20 truffles.

Brazilian Brigadeiro Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 Can of Condensed Milk
  • 3 tbsp of Chocolate Drink Powder
  • 2 tbsp of butter

To decorate: (any of these)

  • Chocolate Vermicelli
  • Grated coconut (fresh of dessicated)
  • Caster sugar

How to prepare:

  • Pour the condensed milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat
  • Add the chocolate drink powder and butter and keep stirring your Brigadeiro mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with your spoon. This is the only crucial bit to watch out for. As you scrape the bottom of your pan with the spoon, the Brigadeiro mixture should be thick enough to show you the bottom the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture levels out again.
  • Pour the Brigadeiro mixture into a 5×3″ Glass or Ceramic container (a deep soup dish will work too) and leave your Brigadeiro aside to cool. When the Brigadeiro mixture is at room temperature, you may place it in the fridge. Where it can stay for 3 to 4 days until you’re ready to roll and serve them.
  • When you are ready to roll your Brigadeiros, remove the mixture from the fridge and scoop a small quantity (Brigadeiro size preferences vary wildly. I prefer mine a little smaller than golf balls).
  • To roll the Brigadeiro, spread a little butter in the palm of your hands, drop the dollop of Brigadeiro mixture in the palm of your hands and roll in between them until you have a smooth small ball.
  • Drop the Brigadeiro ball into a bowl containing your choice of topping and gently roll it around until it’s totally covered.
  • Transfer your Brigadeiro to a mini cupcake cup.
  • It’s quite customary to make Brigadeiros with several different toppings in each batch. Go wild!