Italian Capezzoli Di Venere Chocolate Truffles Of Venus Recipes

NIPPLES OF VENUS (CAPEZZOLI DI VENERE)

Steps:

• Cream sugar and butter together with a spatula until light and creamy. Set aside.
• Heat an inch of water in a pot set over low heat. Melt dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl placed over the pot. Stir with a small spatula.
• Place chestnuts in a food processor; pulse on and off until very finely ground. Add chestnuts to the sugar-butter mixture and stir until combined. Add salt, cayenne pepper, vanilla extract, and brandy. Stir well. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix again until filling is well blended.
• Scoop filling onto a silicone-lined baking sheet and smooth out if necessary. Cover the balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the white chocolate coating.
• Reserve about 20% of the white chocolate to stir in later. Melt the rest in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water until an instant-read thermometer inserted in to the chocolate reads 105 degree F (41 degrees C). Add the reserved white chocolate and stir until melted.
• Place 1 chocolate truffle on a fork and hold it up above the white chocolate coating. Spoon on the white chocolate until ball is well coated. Use another fork to push the truffle onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining truffles and coating. Place the bowl of coating back over hot water if it chocolate starts to harden.
• Mix confectioners' sugar with enough milk to make a very thick paste that will hold together well. Dye it pink with red food coloring. Transfer into a piping bag and pipe a small dot on top of each truffle. Serve truffles in paper candy cups.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES 4 WAYS

Steps:

• Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium until steaming, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine semisweet and bittersweet chocolate with butter in a medium bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla and salt. Pour into a shallow dish, such as a pie plate, cover, and refrigerate until ganache is scoopable, about 30 minutes.
• Place strawberries in a mini food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not powdered, about eight 1-second pulses. Place in a small bowl.
• Place mints in a zip-top bag and whack with a mallet about 5 times until coarsely crushed. Transfer to a separate small bowl. Place cocoa powder and powdered peanut butter in small bowls.
• Scoop tablespoonfuls of ganache and roll into balls; your hands will warm up the ganache if it got too firm. Place on a parchment-lined plate.
• Roll 3 truffles in each coating, pressing to adhere. Chill until ready to serve.