Bourbon Balls

My first foray into any kind of holiday “ball” recipe did not go as planned. Wanting to give friends and family a yummy treat, I came across a recipe that sounded wonderful. It had rum in it. What’s not to like?

The problem was, as I soon found out, that the recipe was extremely dry. In order to make any ball, you’ve got to have enough moisture to form the dough. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking rum, bourbon, whiskey, or cognac. Pick your poison, but the end result is still the same. Not enough liquid, no ball. So, I kept adding rum. And more rum. And more rum. Those balls were enough to knock you on your ass just by smelling them.

This year, I tried the Mast Brothers’ Bourbon Balls recipe. Simple ingredients: vanilla wafers, pecans, cocoa powder, bourbon, and confectioner’s sugar for dusting. I wanted to make sure that I had enough liquid, so I zested and juiced two clementines to give it a little more sweetness and a citrus kick.

With the unsweetened cocoa, the raw flavor was dark and a little bitter. The dusting of sugar on the outside is a must to offset that nicely. These are perfect end for a dinner party or to have on hand for cocktail party munchies. The best part is they can be made ahead, so no stress when you’re working on other parts of your meal before the guests arrive.

Here’s the recipe:

4 c. vanilla wafer cookies (one box)

1 c. pecans

1 c. Confectioners’ sugar

1 TB. cocoa powder

1/2 c. bourbon

Juice and zest of 2 clemetines

Mix cookies, pecans, 3/4 c. sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor. Add bourbon and clementine juice and combine. Roll mixture into small balls. Roll in sugar to coat.