Nipples of Venus (Capezzoli di Venere) | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae

Yield: About 30 nipples
Time Estimate: 5 hours, including 3 hours inactive.
Storage Notes: Will keep for 5 days if kept in a sealed container in a cool place.
Difficulty: Medium.

We first saw these a million years ago on one of our favorite old movies: Amadeus. With Valentine's just around the corner, we thought this would be the perfect time to try our hand at these, and we can now say with 100% certainty: you should stop whatever you're doing and make these right now. They are a little labor intensive, and we had some stumbles getting our jerry-rigged 'double boiler' system to work, but these delicious treats were worth every second. Even better - they'll keep just fine for a few days: make in advance of Valentine's and have 'em ready to wow your sweetheart.

Ingredients:

•  1/4 Cup brandy or dark rum
•  12 oz. Dark Chocolate Chips
•  18 oz. Mixed roasted, unsalted nuts (we recommend a evenly split mix of pecan, cashew, and macadamia)
•  18 oz. White chocolate chips
•  18 oz. Caramel chocolate chips
•  1 Tin Vanilla Bean Cane Sugar
•  1 Tin California Strawberry Cane Sugar
•  2 Tsp Red Cayenne Sea Salt
•  8 Tbs Unsalted Butter
•  1 Mini bottle of pink decorating gel

Directions:

- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and Vanilla Bean, California Strawberry Cane Sugar, and Red Cayenne Sea Salt. Reserve.
- Pulse together nuts in a food processer, until well combined. You want some larger chunks to make the consistency interesting, but the majority of the mix should be relatively fine.
- Add nut mixture and rum to butter/sugar mixture, and combine well. Bring a couple inches of water to a boil in a medium pot, and arrange either a bowl or another pot that will fit snugly over the top. If you have a double boiler, of course use that. Pour in dark chocolate chips, and stir until completely melted.
- Pour melted chocolate into your mixing bowl, and combine thoroughly with all ingredients.
- Using your hands, roll small balls of the mixture (around 1.5"x1.5"), and arrange on a baking sheet. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 - 1.5 hours.
- Repeat the double boiling process, this time with either the white chocolate or caramel chocolate. When completely melted, carefully dip in each ball with a spoon, coating completely with the chocolate. Remove, and replace on baking sheet. 
- Once half are done, switch out the white chocolate for caramel, and repeat.
- Cover, and refrigerate to allow the chocolate to set: around another 1.5 hours.
- Remove from fridge, and give each one it's signature 'nipple' with your pink decorating gel.
- Serve! These will keep well because of the chocolate coating, as long as you keep them cool, and are a perfect Valentine's treat for your sweetheart. That's Amore!