February 9, 2015 | Short Order

Brigadeiro Bakery longs to launch a Brazilian “cronut”

By: Kaitlin Hill

These little truffles are deceptive, hiding an extremely gooey interior.
These little truffles are deceptive, hiding an unusually gooey interior. 

          Always eager to discover a new sweet, I asked a friend to brave a blustery winter evening with me to explore something called the brigadeiro. Aptly named, though hard to pronounce, Brigadeiro Bakery’s little storefront drew us in warmly as did the pastry cook and owner Mariana Vieira, a woman clearly doing what she loves.


Mariana boxes up more brigadeiro than one should eat alone – but I didn’t protest.

          I confessed outright my ignorance of the brigadeiro. I knew it was something sweet that was native to Brazil. Indeed. Mariana patiently explained that the brigadeiro falls somewhere between a caramel and a truffle. The classic has a chocolate center made with sweetened condensed milk, rolled into a ball, and coated in chocolate sprinkles. It’s a must at every Brazilian celebration, Mariana said.


The bakery doesn’t offer many items but it doesn’t need to.

          But Mariana has carried the notion farther, offering pistachio, cinnamon pecan, dulce de leche walnut, and a decadent coconut in addition to the chocolate. Mariana proposes a crash course in brigadeiro by picking her favorites for us to sample. I start with the classic chocolate and am unable to tell her how much I like it as my mouth is glued together by the creamy innards of the amazingly soft truffle. I look to my friend for help. She is already on her second flavor. I swallow and ask, “How is it?” She puts her finger up, indicating I have interrupted a very special moment she is sharing with an exotic candy.


Her beautiful gift boxes make a pretty present for a loved one - or yourself.

          Originally a graphic designer, Mariana designed gift boxes that are edgy yet sentimental. She sells a box of 6 for $14 or a box of 12 for $24. But she will not be content with a trickle of sales. She is determined to make the passion for brigadeiro into a cupcake lust or perhaps as big as the macaroon. It’s too soon to predict – but if it were up to me, they’d have Cronut status.


The cake looks beyond decadent but I’m four brigadeiro deep and decide it can wait.

          The bakery also offers tea, coffee, and some seriously rich looking cakes. I decided to postpone tasting them till my next visit as the sweetened condensed milk was already starting to go to my head.

          Mariana sends us on our way with a box of brigadeiro and a little circular cake with a chocolate shell for each of us. I promise myself I won’t eat it, but as I catch the 1 train I find myself unwrapping a delicious honey cake with a gooey dulce de leche center. I finish it before the first stop. It’s all in the name of research I convince myself – and I’ll be back to do more.

156 Sullivan Street (on the corner of W. Houston and Sullivan) 917-740-5772. Open everyday from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M.

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