The less I drink alcohol, the more I love desserts with tongue-tingly alcohol flavors. These Bourbon Balls are deeply satisfying. They are boozy and toasty with a touch of chocolatey richness. If you like boozy desserts, then you're going to love these.
The original recipe (basically an ingredients list) comes from a very stained and sticky handwritten cookbook at my mother's house. I've added some instructions and updated the recipe proportions here to match the amount of vanilla wafer cookies in a standard eleven ounce box. (Back in the day I used to sit around and count-out 60 wafers). I make these bourbon balls every year because "some people" have made it known that, "if I do not show up with bourbon balls, maybe I should just stay home--just kidding!--sort of." So, be careful who you make these for or you may find that you're never allowed to arrive empty handed again.
Note about Bourbon: I have made this with almost every kind of bourbon (from bottom shelf to top shelf), and I highly recommend a lower proof (80-90 proof) bourbon for this recipe. My favorites are Four Roses and Woodford Reserve, but you should use whatever brand you like, just be aware that a 100 proof bourbon can overwhelm the other flavors and leave you with a medicinal tasting dessert.
Note about Vanilla Wafer Cookies: I use Nabisco brand Nilla Wafers Cookies in the bright yellow box. I'm sorry to have to give you a name brand for this, but it's what I've always used. I have thought about making my own vanilla wafers to use for this recipe, but I haven't yet. I will update this recipe if I ever do.
BOURBON BALLS
Makes about 50. Takes about 1 hour to make. Needs about 24 hours to rest
Ingredients
3 cups pecans
6 T cocoa powder (any type)
11 oz box Nabisco brand 'Nilla Wafer Cookies (about 88 wafers)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
6 oz (3/4 cup) bourbon
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
STEP ONE
Chop 3 cups pecans into roughly 1/4 inch pieces. Then place chopped pecans in a large frying pan over medium low heat and toast. Stir occasionally for the first 2-3 minutes. Once your pecans start to smell and take on color stir them continuously until they are evenly browned. If your nuts start taking on too much color and are in danger of scorching , remove them from heat and stir and cool slightly, then return to a low heat to finish toasting. This should take about 5-8 minutes. Set nuts aside.
STEP TWO
Crush your wafers. There are two ways to do this, either put wafers into a large mixing bowl and then use a heavy cup to crush the wafers in the bowl. OR using a food processor pulse your wafers until they are the size of large panko breadcrumbs with some larger pieces mixed in. If you used a food processor, pour crushed wafers into a large mixing bowl. Using a cup and a mixing bowl will give you more uniform results than the food processor. I'm lazy so I usually use the food processor.
STEP THREE
Add your toasted nuts and 6 tablespoons cocoa powder to the crushed wafers and mix to combine. Then pour 1/4 cup corn syrup and 3/4 cup bourbon over the nuts and wafer bits and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
STEP FOUR
Once you have a wet mixture and no more dry bits of wafer, you're ready to roll the bourbon balls. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl or on a larger plate. To prevent the dough from sticking, coat your palms with powdered sugar and roll the dough into walnut sized balls, then roll them in powdered sugar. Rest them for 24 hours in a covered container before serving.
Bourbon balls will last about 7 days when covered and stored on the counter and longer if stored in the fridge.
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