''Its one of Brazilians favorite sweets, and a must have at party tables.Regarding its origin, there are many stories, but most probably it was created in the 1930s, in São Paulo. Back then it was hard to get fresh milk and sugar to cook sweets recipes, and with the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate factories in the city, sooner or later they would have found out that if one mixed the two ingredients the result would be adelicious treat.Firstly it was called negrinho (something like small and black), and this name is still used in Rio Grande do Sul. But during the 1945 Presidential Elections, soon after World War II, some women who were supporting Brigadier Eduardo Gomes (Brigadier is the second highest rank inBrazilian Air Force), who was running for President against Eurico Gaspar Dutra, decided to sell some ''negrinhos'' as a way to raise money for the campaign. The candidate slogan, ''Vote for the Brigadier (Brigadeiro), who is handsome and single'' (the sentence rhymes in Brazilian Portuguese), allured the young ladies, who then nicknamed the sweet ''Brigadeiro''.And the name stuck.People used to eat the treat the homelike way, the way many people stilldo in the wee small hours, to satisfy their cravings : with a spoon. The ball shape and the chocolate sprinkles would also have started with Eduardo Gomess female voters, taking into consideration is was easier to sell per unit.Today we know that what matters less is the shape and the frosting. What really matters is cooking the mixture up to the right point. The original brigadeiro is made up of three basic ingredients: chocolate (sometimes cocoa powder), sweetened condensed milk and butter -, but we have already developed a wide range of possibilities in the ''taste'' category. The chocolate itself, formerly the biggest star in the recipe, can be replaced by fruit, grains and even wine to create unusual combinations that can be as successful as the traditional recipe among your guests,and will amaze them as well.In the next pages you will fi nd a selection of 25 brigadeiros, from the most basic to the most creative, with step-by-step, easy to cook recipes and, of course, delicious!