By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 25 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(58)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Luscious Brazilian-style fudge balls coated thickly with chocolate sprinkles get an upgrade in this marvelous recipe from Melissa Clark that brings salted licorice into the mix to create something that looks a lot like chocolate truffles but tastes even more divine: creamy, smooth and just salty enough, while still remaining firmly planted on the sweet side of the equation. Added bonus: They are extremely easy to throw together, an excellent candy-making project for families or those in search of fast-and-delicious treats.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 3 dozen
- 1box (7 ounces) soft black licorice
- 1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Coarse sea salt, like fleur de sel
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
In a food processor, grind licorice until finely chopped, about 30 seconds (it will be noisy).
Step
2
Transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add ¼ cup water. Cook gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until licorice is shiny and almost melted (a few remaining licorice nibs are O.K.), 5 to 7 minutes.
Step
3
Add condensed milk and bring to a simmer, stirring. Scrape mixture back into food processor and add chocolate. Process until as smooth as possible (you will still have a few lumps but that’s O.K.), about 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
4
Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill until very cold, at least 3 hours.
Step
5
Pour sprinkles into a bowl. Roll teaspoons of licorice mixture into balls (you may want to lightly coat your hands with butter or oil) and drop them into sprinkles, turning to coat. Place balls into paper candy cups and sprinkle tops with coarse sea salt.
Ratings
4
out of 5
58
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
LEL
Rather than store-bought licorice, I will use 1/2 of recipe from http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Homemade-Black-Licorice. Stop heating at 245°F to 250°F to keep softer. Then add additional sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. May not need food processor.
Tad
WOW, stellar! Don’t be spooked — the licorice flavor is quite mild, a secondary note in what’s basically a chocolate caramel. (My husband hates licorice, but loved these.) I bungled the first batch by using a too-large saucepan and failing to stir constantly, resulting in some burned bits. The second batch came out perfectly though. Once you add the condensed milk, keep stirring, and heat the mixture all the way to softball stage. That should ensure a firm result, easily rolled into balls.
Bia
For those who are saying that it's still too soft no matter how long you leave it in the fridge, just cook it for longer. At least, that's how normal brigadeiro works. Most of the time, we leave it like that so we can eat it with a spoon but when you want to roll it, cook it for longer. I'm not sure exactly how long but that should work. Don't take my word for it because I've never made this recipe though.
Tad
WOW, stellar! Don’t be spooked — the licorice flavor is quite mild, a secondary note in what’s basically a chocolate caramel. (My husband hates licorice, but loved these.) I bungled the first batch by using a too-large saucepan and failing to stir constantly, resulting in some burned bits. The second batch came out perfectly though. Once you add the condensed milk, keep stirring, and heat the mixture all the way to softball stage. That should ensure a firm result, easily rolled into balls.
Lucio
Greeat
chrissi
So delicious! but... even after leaving the candy mixture in the freezer for several DAYS, it's still soft. When I took it out into my room temperature kitchen. rolled pieces in jimmies, and dropped balls into paper bon bon cups, each gelled out like a pancake! I wonder if adding a thickening agent like almond flour could help? I don't know if that would ruin the texture... as is, I think this recipe would make an incredible SAUCE to put over ice cream or apple pie. I'm going to keep trying!
chrissi
Melissa Clark, you are wonderful.
Kat
interesting , but not really worth the hassle.
lana
These are good. Definitely need the salt (just a couple of grains). Doesn’t need to be chocolate sprinkles. Make sure the mixture simmers enough to make soft ball stage.
Laura
This tasted delicious, but I couldn't get them to roll into balls. The end result was too soft even after putting in the fridge overnight. In the end I rolled them into cigar shapes, rolled them in cocoa powder (to be less sticky) and then put them in the freezer and cut them into coins.
LEL
Rather than store-bought licorice, I will use 1/2 of recipe from http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Homemade-Black-Licorice. Stop heating at 245°F to 250°F to keep softer. Then add additional sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. May not need food processor.
Botany Boy
I just looked at that recipe. It calls for anise extract, not licorice. Different plants entirely.
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