Big Dreams Brigadeiro

Shhh…

Don’t tell.

I feel weird saying it.

Okay, here it is: I always wanted to be a writer. A food writer.

I know. Me? A writer? A paid writer!?

No way!

But I briefly lived that dream as a “reporter” for Gael Greene’s Insatiable Critic.

Notepad in hand, hair in a smart bun, glasses always sliding down my nose, I canvassed the streets of New York looking for that new hot food item, the inside ice cream scoop, the baked good buzz.

One evening, I stumbled upon a little bakery with a name I couldn’t pronounce and a smell I couldn’t resist. “Brigadeiro… this has to be good,” I thought.

Because, what the hell is a brigadeiro?

After a bit of investigating, i.e. tasting, I determined the brigadeiro is … well … it’s like a truffle … nearly … kinda … or maybe a caramel. It’s a Brazilian treat that is stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth decadent and incredibly cute.

I can’t remember what I liked more, the out of this world sweet or entering the bakery and saying, “Hi, I’m Kaitlin. A writer from Insatiable Critic.”

“A writer.” Love that.

Maybe it hasn’t turned out as I imagined, but that doesn’t mean it can’t.

In my mind’s eye, I am sitting at a sturdy desk, riffling through notes, making deadlines, accumulating bylines. Rumpled papers litter my floor and my works are bound in a thick three-ring.

“Give Me Shelter” plays around me as I chase down that next lead in my slightly wrinkled Ann Taylor pantsuit. It’s all black coffee and chewed on Bic pens.

A girl can dream.

For now, I have my blog, and another blog, and I edit a bit on the side.

And currently, I have this batch of Big Dreams Brigadeiro I whipped up to serve as a reminder that it’s never too late to make something of myself.

Here’s hoping, oh yeah and a recipe:

So few ingredients. Just 4.

Put the condensed milk, cocoa powder, coffee powder, and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.

Cook until thick and admittedly kind of gross looking. This will take about 6 – 8 minutes. Set aside and let cool completely. If you want to expedite the process, place in fridge for, ehhh 20 minutes.

Use a tablespoon to scoop mounds of mixture and roll into balls. Then roll them into the toppings you choose.

The classic is chocolate sprinkles, but coconut is great, a little pistachio, a rainbow sprinkle deal. Do what you want.

Here’s my little desk, where I dream my little dreams, hoping one day they will become reality.