Everyone’s heard of rum balls, but for a different change of flavor, try these Easy Bourbon Balls! Tender, soft & chewy truffles made with Kentucky bourbon, cocoa, pecans and crushed cookies. Simple and no-bake!
Ever since becoming a food blogger, I have realized there are so many different Christmas cookie and candy recipes.
In my family, we made those refrigerated Pillsbury cookies with the little images printed on them. Or sometimes we made peanut butter blossoms. My grandma occasionally made Pecan Snowballs. But other than that, we never had fudge, fruit-cake (are we really missing out, though?), peppermint anything, Kahlua anything, homemade toffee, divinity, etc. Nothing.
The closest we came to getting fancy candies were found in those little cardboard box of chocolates. Not even Whitman’s or See’s brand… but like, dollar store truffles. Which, if you ever wondered, are so cheap tasting that they’re basically brown-flavor.
So this whole world of homemade candies, slice & bake cookies, and festively sprinkled and flavored goodies – all brand new to me. And I am loving every second of it. Because there’s only so many times you can make peanut butter blossoms, am I right?
To be fair, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this recipe. It’s a cross between a truffle and a cookie pop since it’s made with cocoa, but also made with crushed cookies. And it is extremely bourbon-y, so if you’re sensitive to alcohol or bourbon isn’t your fave, I’d definitely avoid this recipe.
But if you get crunk on bourbon, HONEY – you gotta try these. There is no mistaking that rich, amber bourbon flavor.
Of course, rum balls tend to be more widely known during this time of year, but I thought bourbon sounded even better than rum. Bourbon seems more Christmasy, and rum seems more like I need to have booked a Caribbean vacation last week. But, if you enjoy rum instead, I’m sure it’s interchangeable here.
Can we cheers to that?!
*adapted from My Recipes/Southern Living
Easy Bourbon Balls
Ingredients
- 1 (11 oz box) Nilla Wafers finely crushed
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup plus 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup high quality bourbon
- 3 Tbsp corn syrup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the finely crushed Nilla Wafer cookies with the finely chopped pecans, 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and the cocoa powder. Stir the corn syrup into the bourbon until blended; add to the Nilla Wafer mixture.
- Using a spatula, stir the mixture together until moistened and combined. Using a cookie scoop, scoop Tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture and roll them in your palms gently to smooth out. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls.
- Using the remaining 2/3 cup powdered sugar, coat each bourbon ball in powdered sugar. Chill for about 20-30 minutes or until set before serving. Can be stored in the fridge, covered, or at room temperature, covered.
Crunchy, chewy, soft and packed with great texture from the chopped pecans and crushed cookies, these flavorful Bourbon Balls will surely be the first to go this holiday season!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
cakeSpy says
These balls have got me feeling all holly jolly!
Phyllis Caldwell says
This is the recipe I have used for years & with Seagrams whiskey. Everyone loves them, especially my boys.
thedomesticrebel says
Phyllis, it’s a good recipe!