Bourbon Balls
My mom used makes bourbon balls every Christmas and I always ate one at the big Christmas party they would throw and be disappointed every year. And then once I formed a happy memory with the taste and smell, I loved them! Now they are one of my very favorite parts of Christmas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 box vanilla wafers (12 oz)
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tbsp bittersweet cocoa
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
TO-DO:
Eat a vanilla wafer to make sure they are good
Then pulse wafers in a food processor until they are crumbs.
Toast pecans in the oven until fragrant, about 4 minutes at 400*
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp really good cocoa
Pulse pecans, sugar and cocoa in with wafers to combine into a nice crumb mixture:
The Good Guy
The Bad Guy
Combine whiskey with corn syrup. Add to crumbs. Use hands to combine like so:
*Wash hands to get big clumps off*
Begin to roll into balls. I find it helpful to squish a blob of dough back and forth between my hands 6-7 times to mush it all together before I begin rolling
I like to make 10 at a time and then powder them to let them dry slightly
Form pretty rows
Recipe makes about 50-60 balls, depending on how big you make them and how many you eat!
Tin ‘em up for serving
Celebrate your hard work with a swig of the Good Guy












{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
FYI, I have done a bit of research on bourbon balls, and supposedly, they are not considered to be “real” KY Bourbon balls if they are made with vanilla wafers. I don’t know if you really care about that, but it’s just what I read (in multiple sources). BUT, I think yours look great, and as long as they taste good, I don’t think it really matters!
I just made these and they are awesome. Merry Christmas!
I love bourbon balls too! I’ve tried mixing brown rice syrup and agave nectar in place of your Bad Guy corn syrup.