Balls of Bourbon

Bourbon balls are a chocolate-covered treat that is bite-sized, alcoholic, and requires no baking! Powdered sugar, butter, and bourbon-soaked pecans are dipped in dark chocolate to create the ultimate adult holiday dessert.

Unless I catch a second wind between now and Monday, this will most likely be the only new recipe before Christmas. We’re nearing the end of our wedding preparations (just 53 days left!). , but we’ve been slammed with a slew of bad news in the past several weeks that has left me emotionally depleted.

Bluebirdcafela.com of Christmases Past would probably have pushed through and created five more cookie recipes, staying up until 3 a.m. every day until the holiday, but Bluebirdcafela.com of Christmas Present is a weary, exhausted hot mess who doesn’t want to pile on.

But there’s some good news: we’re going out with a drunken bang: Bourbon Balls.

The issue with bourbon balls is that I adore them, but they are one of those delights that you can only eat one or two of before you are tapped out. They’re creamy and sweet, with a burst of lovely, fantastic whiskey in the tongue.

Therefore, if you don’t like bourbon, don’t make them, eat them, and then come back and tell me you disliked the bourbon taste. Please and thank you. I realize we’re all a little crazy over the holidays, but let’s keep some sanity.

And, certainly, such occurrences do occur. YUCK! I baked these double chocolate cookies today! It’s so chocolaty!

sigh.

Ingredients for bourbon balls

finely sliced pecan halves
cup high-quality bourbon
30 halved pecans
room temperature unsalted butter
3 cup sifted sugar
Dark chocolate melting wafers, 16 oz.

How to make bourbon balls

Happily, this recipe is rather simple: cream the butter, then add the powdered sugar, followed by the bourbon-soaked nuts, and roll into balls.

I’m one of those individuals who always believes that this will be the moment when I strive to achieve perfectly round balls, and the chocolate coating will be just enough to cover it, with no small chocolate feet. NOW IS THE TIME.

Well, guess what. This was not that moment, for the millionth time. The only difference in taste is that you have a bit more chocolate, but who is complaining about that?

I think the individual who said the chocolate biscuits were excessively chocolaty was correct. But, we do not count them.

I like to line them up like a little army of drunken troops. You don’t have to, but I enjoy the way it’s presented.

You may also stagger them, and try not to look at my clearly bad candy dipping abilities when there is a lot of lumpy chocolate.

Or, you may just place them on nearby plates for your guests to choose from. They’re crammed in there with no breathing space.

I don’t advocate heaping them on top of each other since you could pop their tiny pecan caps off, which would be tragic.

Well, I was speaking from personal experience.

I ate a bad hatless bourbon ball rapidly since I didn’t want it to suffer.

No matter how you serve them, be sure they are not placed near a raging fire or on top of an oven. Your chocolate will melt and become a heated mess. As in, literally. A shambles.

Since the bourbon taste is so powerful in these tiny fellas, your first bite will most likely smack you in the face. It will fade, replaced by the filling’s smooth, creamy, sweet taste and the gentle crunch of the chocolate covering.

If you ask me, this is one of the best taste combos ever.

There is always the quandary of how to consume the pecan topper:

Do I first pull it off and eat it? Should I attempt to bite it in half with my teeth when I take the first bite? Should I keep it for the second bite? TOO MUCH STRESS.

Do whatever seems right in the moment for you. Then save a couple for later so you can try out the other options and choose your favorite. Make a note of it for the next time you prepare them, and develop some charts and graphs of your findings to share your bourbon ball eating strategies.

Alright, maybe that’s too much.

Is that correct?

More bourbon, please!

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Bourbon Balls

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Prep Time: 20mins

Total Time: 1hr20mins

Servings: to 36 balls

✓ Read the recipe beginning to end

✓ Check oven calibration

✓ Check expiration dates

✓ Properly measure ingredients

✓ Check butter temperature

Description

These chocolate covered confections are bite-sized, boozy, and no bake! Powdered sugar, butter and bourbon-soaked pecans are coated in dark chocolate for the ultimate holiday dessert for adults.

Equipment

blending bowls
Baking pans
Mixing Stand
Hand held mixer
Scooping cookies
Two boilers

Ingredients

finely sliced pecan halves
cup high-quality bourbon
30 halved pecans
room temperature cupunsalted butter
3 cup sifted sugar
Dark chocolate melting wafers, 16 oz.

Instructions

4 cup good bourbon
4 cup halved pecans 1
Combine finely chopped pecans and bourbon in a small dish and soak for at least an hour, stirring occasionally to ensure even coating.
3
Optional, but recommended: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Toast the pecan halves in a single layer on a baking pan for 5 minutes. Place aside to cool.
30 halved pecans
Set aside a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Beat butter on high speed in a stand mixer or large mixing basin with a hand mixer until creamy and fluffier.
1
Add powdered sugar gradually and thoroughly blend.
3 cups granulated sugar
Mix in the bourbon mixture (you may add any leftover liquid if wanted; you may need to add more powdered sugar if it’s too soft).
Pour in your soaked pecans.
Measure out balls of dough with a tiny cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons) and set them on the prepared baking sheet. If you’re planning to keep them overnight, place them in the fridge for at least an hour to cool before covering with plastic wrap.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat until smooth, then coat each ball thoroughly with a candy dipper (or toothpick or fork, whichever works best for you). Return to the parchment-lined baking sheet, immediately top with a pecan half, and set aside.
Dark chocolate melting wafers, 16 oz.
When everything is ready, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Store in an airtight container in a cool room or in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts

FAQs

What are bourbon balls made of?

Bourbon balls are formed from both dry and wet components. The basis is finely broken vanilla wafers, with powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa, and chopped toasted nuts imparting wonderful taste. The dry ingredients are moistened with bourbon and light corn syrup to form a soft dough.

Is there alcohol in bourbon balls?

Classic bourbon balls include alcohol, as the name implies. The quantity varies depending on the recipe. To be clear, they are on the pricey side, which is precisely why we like them. If you insist, you can use less bourbon, but I doubt you’ll want to.

Can you get buzzed from bourbon balls?

4 cup of bourbon is used, which is then mixed with 2-3 cups of other ingredients and distributed into 24 candies. Does consuming bourbon balls get you drunk? Although bourbon balls contain enough alcohol to taste it, the chances of becoming drunk from them are quite low. Only 1

How much alcohol is in a bourbon ball?

The amount of alcohol in bourbon balls varies depending on the recipe. Most bourbon balls, on the other hand, contain between 3 and 5 percent alcohol by volume. This implies that a standard-sized bourbon ball (about 1 ounce) has roughly as much alcohol as a 12-ounce can of beer.

What does a bourbon ball taste like?

It mostly tastes like a cookie or a cake. This isn’t the case with these Bourbon Balls. I genuinely believe that after you bite into one of these, you will feel as if you had a shot of whiskey instead of a cookie bite. Unless you do as instructed and wait one day before eating them!

What’s the difference between bourbon and whiskey?

According to the American Bourbon Association, bourbon whiskey must be distilled from a grain blend, or mash, that contains at least 51% corn. Bourbon gets its unique sweet taste from maize.

What kind of alcohol is in bourbon?

To be termed Bourbon, a whiskey’s mash – the grain combination from which the product is distilled – must include at least 51% maize. The remaining mash is frequently made up of rye or wheat, as well as malted barley.

What is the main alcohol in bourbon?

A “bourbon,” according to US Trade Law, is a kind of whiskey in which the “mashbill”—the mix of grains used to make the whiskey—contains 51% – 80% maize. Distillers typically employ roughly 70% corn content and are allowed to use other grains for the remaining mashbill.

Is bourbon 100% alcohol?

Following maturation, bourbon is removed from the barrel and typically filtered and diluted with water. It is then bottled at a minimum of 80 US proof (40% abv). While 80 US proof is the most frequent proof for bourbon whiskey, other typical proofs include 86, 90, and 100. All bourbon “bottled in bond” is 100 proof.

Will 2 shots of bourbon get you drunk?

To experience the effects of alcohol, a 160-pound adult man need four shots of straight bourbon. The average 1.5 oz. shot of bourbon has 40% alcohol by volume.