These are the ultimate merrymaking make-ahead sweet. Up to a month in advance, mix a big batch and freeze until the party.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 day 1 hr |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Inactive: | 1 day |
| Yield: | about 4 1/2 dozen 1-inch balls |
Ingredients
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 20 chocolate wafer cookies (about half a 9-ounce box)
- 1/2 cup (about 15) finely chopped pitted dried plums (a.k.a prunes)
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup bourbon or1/3 to 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup colored decorating sugars or more finely ground wafer cookies, for garnish
Instructions
- Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium for 1 minute. Stir and repeat until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes in all, depending on the power of your microwave. Alternatively, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan (without touching the water). Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
- Process the cookies in a food processor until finely ground. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups ground cookies.) Alternatively, put the cookies inside a heavy resealable plastic bag and crush by moving a rolling pin over the cookies.
- Stir the cookie crumbs, dried plums, confectioners’ sugar, bourbon and condensed milk into the chocolate until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until firm enough to roll into balls, about 45 minutes.
- Scoop a tablespoon or so of the mixture at a time into a small ball with a cookie or small ice cream scoop and set onto a baking sheet or large plate. Roll each portion by hand into a smooth ball.
- Store the booze balls in an airtight container at room temperature for a day to allow the flavors to come together. Store the balls in the refrigerator for a week or freeze for up to 1 month. Roll in decorating sugars or wafer crumbs and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 54 servings |
| Calories | 41 |
| Total Fat | 1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 1 mg |
| Sodium | 17 mg |
Reviews
Sorry to all those who were not successful! Followed the recipe exactly, using 1/3 cup brandy. They turned out perfectly, and loved by everyone! But yes, the finished amount is off. I too got just over half of the expected amount. Next time I will use the food processor to get a smoother plum to get a smoother finished product, closer to a truffle. LOVE IT!
Love comments by people who change the recipe, then say it ‘didn’t turn out’. Try the original first…
These didn’t turn out. I used Kahlua and made half with fruit half without. The fruit half was moist but neither had a good flavor. Won’t be making again.
I followed the directions exactly and they turned out hard as marbles and horrible.
A big hit this year!! I used oreo’s instead of the chocolate wafers because I couldn’t find them in my grocery store. They may have been sweeter than the creators of this would have liked, but everyone ate them up. You could probably lighten up on the sugar if if wanted. Yum!!
I found the thin chocolate wafers at Food Lion where the Ice Cream cones & toppings are, on the top shelf. Recipe has good flavor. When you combine ingredients, a bit difficult to mix together, I put mixture in a pot on stove & on LOW heat to soften & mix. I was unable to get 4.5 dozen, more like 2-2.5 dozen. Cookies are like a chocolate truffle consistency.
I followed the recipe exactly. The booze balls were very easy to make and easy to roll. I made one batch with Brandy and one batch with Kahlua. I probably wont use this recipe again because the balls were too rich and you cant eat more than 2 bites.
But adding the prunes/dried plums is a great idea. They keep the balls moist and pair very well with the booze.
I wish there was a lighter, less sweet version of this recipe.
From my childhood
These are exceptionally easy and come together quickly. They do take a week (or 4) to come together with the booze (I used rum) and mellow. I used the Giardelli 60% cocoa chips and vanilla wafers and since I had dried cherries I threw some in the mix along with the dried plums…really good! Next time I will try throwing some nuts or seeds in the mix. Love this recipe, thanks Food Network Kitchen.
i don’t know if i did something wrong or what but this recipe says it makes 4 1/2 dozen 1 inch balls and i only got about 20 out of it. they were tasty, but i was disappointed in the amount. also, i had to chill the mixture MUCH longer than 45min to get it firm enough to make the balls – and even then they were very soft and sticky – perhaps my hands were too warm?
all in all pretty good, but i doubt i would make them again.