Kentucky Bourbon Balls
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 36
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ tablespoons light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup Kentucky Bourbon, from Bourbon County Kentucky
  • 1 cup pecans or walnuts
  • 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, finely crushed, or graham crackers
  • ½ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (can use Dutch processed or regular unsweetened cocoa powder)
Instructions
  1. First toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool completely and then finely chop. Put the vanilla wafer cookies in food processor or blender until finely chopped. Add the crumbs to the chopped pecans. To this mixture add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder and stir until combined. Add the corn syrup and bourbon and mix well. Add more bourbon if necessary. Chill the batter and then shape into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Roll the bourbon balls in confectioners' sugar, finely chopped nuts, or cocoa powder. If dipping in chocolate, put about 3 ounces of chopped dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon of shortening or butter in a heat proof bowl placed over a saucepan of water. Once melted, remove from heat and dip the balls, one at a time, in the melted chocolate, making sure the entire ball is coated with chocolate. Then, remove the bourbon balls from the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the chocolate covered balls on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. When all the balls have been dipped in the chocolate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set. Once the chocolate has hardened you can drizzle the bourbon balls with melted white chocolate
Notes
You can always change out coatings and or flavors even omit the Bourbon add your favorite spirit. Legend has it that the balls were invented by Ruth Booe, of Rebecca Ruth Candies still in operation today in Frankfort Kentucky.
Recipe by Merry Christmas Recipes at https://merrychristmasrecipes.com/2011/10/15/kentucky-bourbon-balls/