Kentucky Honey Bourbon Balls
Alright, folks. I'm finally ready to give up this recipe. Every holiday season I make these and every year somebody tries to pry the recipe out of me. But so far, I've kept my secret close.
This year seemed like a good time to give a little extra. And boy do I have a gift for you.
What if I told you could take pecans, soak them in bourbon laced with honey liqueur for a week, and turn them into delectable bites of the best booziness this side of the Mason-Dixon line? I do it every Christmas according to my husband's family recipe and it's never a mistake.
Bourbon balls are basically just four ingredients. Pecans, bourbon, powdered sugar and a little butter but they do take a little patience and a smidge of know how to get the consistency just right. I recommend soaking the pecans anywhere from 1-3 days before you mix up a batch but at a minimum, overnight.
You can make these any size, but I stick with somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch for easier coating. My recipe calls for melting a mix of unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate for coating these beauties, but it's important that you get them UBER cold beforehand so they don't melt when dunked in the warm chocolate.
When making candy, a freezer is a girl's best friend.
Once the chocolate on these has set, you can pop them into mason jars as a cute seasonal gift. Or just eat them all in one sitting. You know, whatever makes you happy.
Kentucky Honey Bourbon Balls
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
3/4 cup honey bourbon
1/4 pound of butter, cold
2 lbs. powdered sugar
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp. coconut oil
Pour bourbon over nuts. Let them set in a closed jar overnight. Work 1 lb. of powdered sugar into the cold butter until crumbly, either with your hands or a mixer. Pour bourbon off the nuts into the other pound of powdered sugar. Add mixtures together until well combined. Add strained, soaked nuts. Mix. It should be stiff enough to roll into balls, but still soft and slightly sticky to the touch. Add more butter or sugar as needed. Form into 1/2 inch balls. Cool in the fridge or freezer for half an hour or more. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or microwave, then cool to under 100 degrees. Coat chilled balls in chocolate and lay them on waxed paper to set. Refrigerate until firm, then deposit into jars or containers. Makes 2-3 dozen bourbon balls.