A friend and colleague told me about a new discovery in Coral Gables and gave me a few samples of their product brigadeiros. Well, I was so impressed by these heavenly and indulgent treats I drove an hour to Coral Gables in heavy traffic just to gorge myself, sample some more flavours and buy a few boxes to take home with me. After all, I had to make it worth my trip.

What is a brigadeiro you ask? It is a typical sweet of Brazilian cuisine created in the 1940’s. It was used in a political campaign of Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes in 1945. He did not win the election, but this treat was such a success that it was later baptized the “brigadeiro” and became the most beloved and common sweet throughout the country. It’s present at nearly all parties.

Luciano Brilho is a young American Brazilian who has brought this concept and opened Florida’s first brigaderio specialty shop in Florida. There are only three other shops in the country specializing in this. Two in New York and one in LA.

Luciano was in his kitchen hard at work, hand rolling these little treasures. They are like a chocolate truffle on steroids. They are made with condensed milk and butter, hence they are extremely rich and soft. The dessert is tiny but it truly satisfies any cravings. The typical brigadeiro is a chocolate ball covered in chocolate sprinkles, but here they have expanded to include a variety of toppings and flavours.

The shop is located at 2771 Coral Way, not too far from the Miracle Mile. It is kind of off the beaten track, but believe me is worth the extra effort to find it. It’s adorably cute and artsy, done in pinks and browns. The walls are painted to look like chocolate is dripping down them. There are a few tables where you can sit to enjoy your treat with a tea or a Nespresso coffee. I highly recommend getting a cappuccino brigadeiro which features a Nutella and chocolate trimmed cup, and it comes with your choice of brigadeiro. Some of the flavours include strawberry, orange almond, pistachio, passion fruit, dulche de leche, cookies and cream, my favourite – the Oh My Gosh with chocolate rice krispie type balls on top, coconut, milk Nutella and so on. There are 14 gluten-free flavours.

Brigadeiros are great for a special event like a wedding, shower, bar mitzvah, birthday or a hostess gift. We’ve all done cupcakes, donuts and ice cream before, so I find it exciting to serve a luscious new and creative treat.

Luciano is hoping to expand his brand in the future, and I am hoping it will be somewhere closer on the beach. In the meantime, if you give notice and pay a delivery fee, he may just come your way. He is also planning to incorporate ice cream or some other treats in the future.

Oh My Gosh is the perfect name because that is what you say when you will bite into your first brigadeiro. Please note the shop is closed on Sundays.

Luciano is bringing the sweet taste of Brazil to Coral Gables.

Highly Recommend.

Happy and excited,
Shanea

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