Bourbon Balls. These no bake confections are very easy to make and make an elegant addition to any celebration.
Bourbon balls is one of my favourite treats that Spouse makes at Christmas time. I’m partial to a drop of Scotch myself but I am not one to turn down many good spirits.
These very simple treats are super easy to put together and you can make them in a number of variations to suit you own taste with your own favourite tipple. Use rum or another favourite spirit instead of the bourbon, change the hazelnuts to pecans or whatever you nuts you like.
Add rye whiskey with chopped cherries or other dried fruits, brandy and white chocolate chunks, coconut with coconut rum, whatever you like and think would work well together to make your own signature version.
Let your imagination and personal taste be your guide to what will become one of your favourite holiday treats too.
These yummy morsels are also perfect for gift giving and should be made at least a day in advance to let the flavours meld together properly.
Originally published on Dec 6, 2012. November 2017 update to include recipe notes, nutritional information and metric measurement conversions if needed.
If you liked this recipe you many want to check out this great collection of No Bake Cookies that was incredibly popular during our last Holiday season.
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Bourbon Balls…or Rum Balls…or Brandy Balls…or…
Bourbon Balls - These no bake confections are very easy to make and make an elegant addition to any celebration.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 cup icing sugar, powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp dark corn syrup or honey
- 1 cup bourbon, or other favorite spirit
- 12- 16 ounces of good quality chocolate
Instructions
- Mix together the cookie crumbs, hazelnuts, icing sugar, cocoa, corn syrup and bourbon well and roll into 1 inch balls. Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet as you form them and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- When balls are fully chilled, in a double boiler melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
- Do not let the chocolate overheat. Melt it very gently over slowly simmering water. You want the chocolate just at its melting point before you dip the bourbon balls. Higher temperatures can cause the chocolate to develop white spots when it’s fully cooled.
- Keep the chocolate over the hot water even when you remove it from the stove. I simply use two forks to roll the balls around in the chocolate one at a time; the fork also allows excess chocolate to drip easy away.
- Drop onto a parchment or waxed paper lined cookie sheet and let the chocolate cool at room temperature.
- Store the balls in an airtight container.
Notes
Some brands of vanilla cookies may be a bit less absorbent so don't be afraid to add more cookie crumbs if necessary. You can also try placing the mixture into the fridge for a half hour or more to let the bourbon absorb and the mixture to chill a little before rolling into balls. The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
1 bourbon ballAmount Per Serving Calories 213Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 7gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 1mgSodium 63mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 2g
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Lorraine
Monday 29th of November 2021
Would graham wafer crumbs work for this recipe?
Barry C. Parsons
Friday 17th of February 2017
A couple of weeks at least. A lot depends on the quality of the chocolate used to coat them. Temper it properly for longest lasting results.
Sydney
Monday 19th of December 2016
Do you really use 1 cup of alcohol, everyone (including nan haha) say it is way too strong?
Barry C. Parsons
Monday 19th of December 2016
They are supposed to be strong, I love them boozy, but you can replace some of the alcohol with grape juice or another neutral liquid. Nan will just have a nice nap. :)
Peggy G.
Friday 7th of December 2012
Bourbon balls are all the rage here - but of course, we live in Bourbon country =)
Bobbi
Thursday 6th of December 2012
I usually place a good quality tooth pick into balls before chilling and use it to dip the balls with, its up to you if you remove it when cooled or leave in, especially if serving with party favors