Potatoes, low-fat sour cream, a low-sodium ranch mix, and turkey bacon are all blended with Swanson® Unsalted Chicken Stock. In this more nutritious version of mashed potatoes, you won’t miss any of the flavor.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Servings: | 20 |
| Yield: | 40 bourbon balls |
Ingredients
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¼ cup bourbon whiskey
Instructions
- Place the sugar in a shallow bowl, and set aside. Combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and pecans in a bowl, and mix well.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes to melt the chips. Stir the melted chips until smooth, and beat in the corn syrup and whiskey. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the crumb mixture, and stir well to mix.
- Form the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll each ball in sugar. Place the finished bourbon balls on a cooling rack to finish setting up.
- You can substitute your favorite whiskey or use rum or brandy.
Reviews
I may not have nailed the recipe spot on but I found them to be dry. I added a little extra bourbon and corn syrup and got them to hold together. The flavor was pretty good but I have made better in the past.
I think there are better recipes for bourbon balls, . . . . ones that favor whole ingredients over using so many preprocessed products ( like cocoa instead of chocolate pieces.) This one turns out better if you DOUBLE the bourbon, the corn syrup and the confectioner’s sugar. Otherwise the “dough” is quite dry and less able to hold the granular sugar coating.
This is a simple recipe. I suggest using a food processor for the cookies and making into a flour like consistency. This way, it melds well with the other ingredients. I purchased the pecan chips (Fishers cookie pieces, found at Walmart), but you could also use a food processor to turn the nuts into fine pieces. . I microwaved the chips 2 minutes, then after stirring all the chips are melted. After adding the syrup and bourbon, it takes some handwork, but it will all integrate, be sure and do that before adding to the dry ingredients. As another reviewer did, I reversed the sugars, because I think the powdered sugar on the outside looks nicer. The mixture was easy to roll into balls, then I rolled them all in the powdered sugar, but just enough to cover, and I brushed off any excess. There’s plenty of sweetness without needing to over do it. I did add a splash more bourbon as well, since my recipients all like alcohol. Enjoy!
I did not add chocolate chips and it still is delicious! I also substituted graham cracker crumbs for vanilla wafers.
Getting rave reviews from unexpected quarters. These are ahhsum. I did reverse the roles of the sugars and put the confectioners on the outside.
Please note the 5 star rating is AFTER modifications I made. The first time I tried this recipe, I had the same experience as a previous reviewer: a dry, crumbly mess that I couldn’t shape into anything. It just crumbled in my hands (what a waste of good bourbon!). The second time, I increased the amount of bourbon to 1/2 cup and decreased the vanilla wafer crumbs to 2 cups. Viola…perfection! A great recipe after balancing the wet and dry ingredients!
I made these and mine were a little dry but worked a little with them and they formed up okay. My husband tried them and he said this was the first bourbon ball that he actually liked. I added 1/3 cup bourbon and did cover mine in chocolate instead of rolling them in sugar though.
I made these for a gathering, but didn’t have time to make them ahead. Even same-day, I got rave reviews! I did use more bourbon than the recipe originally called for, but the powdered sugar in the mixture really helps to keep them from tasting too “crumbly.” Everyone absolutely LOVED them! Thanks Steph.
This is the only bourbon ball recipe I use, though with a few modifications. I use at least 1/3 cup bourbon instead of 1/4, sometimes 1/2 cup. I only use 1/2 cup pecans and slightly less than 2.5 cups wafer crumbs, otherwise it’s too dry and not chocolatey enough.
I must have done something wrong. I had a lot of crumbs mixture that wouldn’t stick together. Help!
Chocolatey and delicious!
I highly recommend this recipe. I tried another recipe for bourbon balls posted on this site, and they turned out more like chocolate coated, soggy sugar cookies. Steph’s Bourbon Balls has a better consistency, is arguably less costly, and takes a fraction of the time to make compared to the other posted recipes. If Bourbon Balls are your thing, you won’t be disappointed.
these turned out a little dry, but they are fantastic!! I used brandy.
Hate to say it, but I did not care for these. Not sure if it was the recipe (which I followed exactly) or if I just don’t care for this kind of thing. Judging by how many others loved them, its probably just not my thing.
I always use VO bourbon to make these. They taste best after a few days (if you can wait that long to partake). Update: After making these dozens of times, I discovered a way to keep them from being too crumbly: dissolve the corn syrup in the bourbon before mixing into the melted chocolate. Worked like a charm! Also, you can use walnuts instead of the pecans if that suits your tastebuds better.
I made these and they were easy and taste great! I but Captain Morgan rum instead of the bourbon.