Bourbon Balls are delicious no-bake chocolate treats with bourbon mixed in and rolled in sugar. They’re good stuff, and they’re a must-make for the holidays.
These old fashioned bourbon balls are perfect for the holiday season. This is an easy recipe with the perfect combo of chocolate and bourbon. To make things more fun, give yourself a heavy pour of bourbon, and take a sip of bourbon (I recommend Makers Mark for this recipe) while you make these easy bourbon balls. Some may say that’s the best part about making bourbon balls. If you use Kentucky bourbon, then you can re-name them Kentucky bourbon balls! This is a great recipe.
This no bake treat recipe comes from The Cookie Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. What a fabulous cookbook to own if you love to bake cookies! I love that there are so many tips and tricks and substitutions in this book. It has truly been written by an expert! Rose Levy Beranbaum is also the author of The Cake Bible. She knows her stuff!
Here are a few recipes in the book I will definitely be making:
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Buttons
- Mom’s Coconut Snowball Kisses
- Churro Nuggets
- Lion’s Paws
- Giant Jam Birthday Cookie
- Brownie Doughnuts
- Chocolate Caramel Candy Bars
- Jammy Plum Bars
Ingredients needed:
- chocolate wafers
- pecan halves
- powdered sugar
- Dutch process cocoa powder
- unsalted butter
- light corn syrup
- bourbon
- white sugar
How to make Chocolate Bourbon Balls:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Add the chocolate wafers to the bowl of a food processor, and pulverize into fine crumbs. Add the crumbs to a large bowl.
Then process the pecans with the powdered sugar and cocoa powder until finely ground. Add the butter and corn syrup. Process until well combined. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the wafer crumbs. Stir until evenly incorporated.
Add the 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the cookie crumb mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture is uniform in consistency and begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Add a little more bourbon if the mixture is too dry to hold together. Let the mixture sit, covered, for 30 minutes to absorb the bourbon.
Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out level tablespoons of the bourbon mixture and press and roll between the palms of your hands to shape into 1¼-inch balls.
Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Add one ball at a time, and roll it around in the sugar. The coating is most attractive when the balls are dipped three times. Re-dip after the sugar starts to disappear. Set them on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet until you’ve had a chance to form them all.
How to store bourbon balls:
Place the balls in a paper towel or parchment-lined airtight container at room temperature. Serve within 6 weeks.
Do I have to use Dutch process cocoa powder?
Yes! That’s a key ingredient for giving these bourbon balls great flavor. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa in your baking aisle is what you can look for if you don’t already have it in your pantry.
Can you make this Bourbon Ball recipe without the bourbon?
Yes! These are a boozy treat with the addition of bourbon, and they definitely have a bourbon flavor. To skip the bourbon, use 2 tablespoons of water and 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract in place of the bourbon. This will turn these into chocolate-pecan balls instead of bourbon balls!
Favorite Holiday Sweet Treats
- Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
- Holly Cookies
- Cardamom Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Kiss Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
Bourbon Balls
Ingredients
- 6.7 ounces chocolate wafers
- ¾ cup pecan halves
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder (such as Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (Maker's Mark or similar)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Add the chocolate wafers to the bowl of a food processor, and pulverize into fine crumbs. Add the crumbs to a large bowl.
- Then process the pecans with the powdered sugar and cocoa powder until finely ground. Add the butter and corn syrup. Process until well combined. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the wafer crumbs. Stir until evenly incorporated.
- Add the bourbon to the cookie crumb mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture is uniform in consistency and begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Add a little more bourbon if the mixture is too dry to hold together. Let the mixture sit, covered, for 30 minutes to absorb the bourbon.
- Scoop out level tablespoons of the mixture and press and roll between the palms of your hands to shape into 1¼-inch balls.
- Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Add one ball at a time, and roll it around in the sugar. The coating is most attractive when the balls are dipped three times. Re-dip after the sugar starts to disappear.
- Place the balls in a paper towel or parchment-lined airtight container at room temperature- serve within 6 weeks.
Notes
- To skip the bourbon: 2 tablespoons of water and 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract can be substituted for the bourbon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
