Bourbon Balls

By Hklbrries

"My one meager claim to fame is the fact that my grandmother, Ruth Hanley Booe, invented the Bourbon Ball. The whiskey-spiked, cream-centered, dark-chocolate-covered confection she created in 1936 became a regional favorite, and home cooks started improvising their own versions. The original bourbon balls are still produced by Rebecca-Ruth Candy, the business my grandma started in 1919 with her friend, Rebecca Gooch. Now owned by my brother, Rebecca-Ruth Candy still thrives in Frankfort, KY.

Few people have heard of Bourbon Balls where I live in Los Angeles, so my lineage has never gotten me seated next to movie stars at Spago. But recently, my friend Susie LaCour, a caterer in the Bay Area, mentioned her love of Bourbon Balls. She said she made the best. I told her about my grandmother. In Susie's eyes, this was like being related to Elvis.

I gave Susie a box of bourbon candy. "These are incredible! Can you get drunk off these?" I assured her she'd fall into a diabetic coma long before she'd consumed enough to get a DUI, though they are pungent. And so are Susie's. We agreed there's scant resemblance between my grandmother's version and hers, but Susie's are a fine rendition unto themselves. And the fact is, I don't know the original recipe. My brother has it locked away and probably bobby-trapped to an extent that would put Indiana Jones to the test.

Ingredients

• 12 cups crushed vanilla wafers—the original Nilla (4 boxes)
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 4 3/4 cups chopped pecans, divided
• 3/4 cup bourbon (such as Old Grand Dad’s)

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Mix vanilla wafers, corn syrup, cocoa powder, 4 cups powdered sugar, 4 cups pecans and bourbon. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Shape into balls. Pulverize remaining ¾ cup pecans and sift in remaining ¼ cup powdered sugar. Mix together and roll bourbon balls in mixture.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
190 calories
8 g fat
5 mg cholesterol
1 g protein
25 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
65 mg sodium