Brazilian Desserts

These chewy, sprinkles-coated balls (called brigadeiros in Portuguese) are more like chocolate caramels than French-style truffles.

Tropical fruit is the centerpiece of most Brazilian breakfasts. These smoothies combine passion fruit juice and coconut water with fresh mango and yogurt. They're similar to a lassi ,but with extra tang to offset the sweetness of the mango. Add some fresh mint for an extra element of brightness.

In this recipe, chia pudding gets a Brazilian twist with frozen acai and toasted coconut. It's a make-ahead breakfast that is perfect for keeping in the refrigerator for the week ahead. Create parfaits by layering the bananas, acai chia pudding and coconut yogurt, or keep the elements separate and assemble them when you're ready to eat.

Think of these handheld Brazilian sweets as chocolate truffles by way of the beach. They are a cinch to make and can be rolled in anything from chocolate sprinkles to shredded coconut to cocoa powder.

Acai bowls are a Brazilian street food fixture. In this version, the frozen acai berries are blended with almond milk and bananas for an extra creamy finish. The coconut-cashew granola that's sprinkled on top—as these bowls are traditionally served—is also excellent on its own. Look for the acai packs in the freezer section.

Christina Bhan and Paula Barbosa of My Sweet Brigadeiro (mysweet.com) make 20 different versions of these chewy Brazilian candies, including traditional Rich Chocolate and Pecan-Cinnamon.