Like Mint Juleps, Bourbon Balls are a special treat. They take me home to my roots in Kentucky. There, in the Bluegrass Region there is a storied chocolate shop that is famous for its delicious bourbon candies. In fact Rebecca Ruth Candy, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, claims that their founder, Ruth Hanly Booe, is the inventor of Bourbon Balls.
Looking for the Recipe
I tried to make Bourbon Balls myself several times after I left the Bluegrass State. Sadly, the recipes I found called for a mixture of cookie crumbs and pecans soaked in bourbon and rolled into balls. I knew that wasn’t what I was looking for but I didn’t know why. Then I visited Rebecca Ruth Chocolates on a trip back home. That was when I discovered that Bourbon Balls demand more than a splash of whiskey and few pecans to create an outstanding candy. They also need a creamy center and a coat of chocolate to do the trick.
After visiting the Rebecca Ruth Candy shop in Frankfort, I asked Aunt Hen if she had a recipe that might come closer to the flavor and texture of the fine candies sold there. She thoughtfully scanned her cookbooks and found just what I was looking for. Her recipe, like Rebecca Ruth’s, makes a creamy fondant center laced with bourbon whiskey and enrobed in dark chocolate. They are everything a holiday specialty should be: sweet, fragrant, memorable, with a taste reminiscent of another time and place. I hope I can find that recipe before Christmas rolls around this year!
Chocolate Ganache Bourbon Balls
Meanwhile, I made some Bourbon Vanilla Truffles that blend the same delicious and evocative flavors in a delectable chocolate ganache. I infused cream with a fragrant vanilla bean to add luscious depth to the bouquet. Next, I added brown sugar for a hint of casual down-home southern sweetness. These were warmed and poured over semi-sweet chocolate and gently stirred until the chocolate was melted and smooth. Last, I added a shot of Kentucky bourbon whiskey (I used Bulleit Bourbon which seems to taste particularly nice in candy) to lend a convivial sparkle and a smoothly elegant finish.
All together, Bourbon Vanilla Truffles present an agreeable combination of flavors. Even better, they are close enough to the flavor of traditional Bourbon Balls to take me back to Kentucky. There I imagine the glistening warmth of spring sunshine resting on rolling fields softly carpeted in bluegrass as I remember the wonderful flavors of home.
Bourbon Vanilla Truffles
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium30
servings3
hoursSoft notes of vanilla infuse a rich bourbon ganache in these pecan studded truffles.
Ingredients
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
½ cup cream
½ of a vanilla bean
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon bourbon whiskey
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 oz melted chocolate for dipping
Directions
- Melt 6 ounces of chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl over hot, not boiling, water. Set aside.
- Pour cream into a small saucepan. Add half of a vanilla bean and the brown sugar. Cook over low heat until the cream begins to simmer and is heated through. Remove from heat.
- Remove the vanilla bean. Cut the bean open and scrape the seeds into the cream mixture. Discard the hull.
- Add the cream mixture and the bourbon to the melted chocolate and stir or whisk until well combined.
- Set the mixture aside until cool and thick, but not hard, approximately two hours.
- (For photos from the next few steps in the process see my post for Vanilla Chile Truffles.)
When thick, place the chocolate mixture in a Ziploc freezer bag. Seal the bag and snip a ½ inch piece from a lower corner of the bag. Pipe the chocolate mixture onto waxed paper or parchment in teaspoon sized dollops. (I have also used a small cookie scoop to shape the ganache into rough 1- inch balls for this step, if the mixture is fairly firm.) Place in the freezer until very firm, approximately 30 minutes -1 hour. - Place the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator or freezer. Place each dollop in the cocoa powder and then roll it in your hands to form a ball or longer log shaped pieces. (This will be messy!)
- Place the truffles on a new piece of waxed paper or parchment. When all dollops have been shaped, place the chocolate back in the refrigerator until set.
- At this point the ganache can be rolled in cocoa powder again just before serving, or they can be dipped in chocolate.
- At this point the ganache can be rolled in cocoa powder again just before serving, or they can be dipped in chocolate.
- To Dip Truffles in Chocolate:
- Skip the second cocoa powder dusting and when the shaped chocolate ganache has set, melt 6 ounces of chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a small metal bowl over hot, not boiling, water.
- Dip the chocolate ganache into the melted chocolate, shaking gently to help the excess chocolate drip back into the pan before placing the finished truffle on waxed paper. Garnish by placing a toasted pecan piece on top before the chocolate sets. Allow chocolate to cool until the chocolate coating is firm.
- Truffles can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks, however, the chocolate coating may bloom (get whitish spots or streaks) if it is not tempered. This does not effect the quality of the truffle but is generally considered unattractive. To avoid this the chocolate can be tempered before dipping. Or ignore the risk of chocolate bloom and simply enjoy the truffles right away, within a day or two.
- Truffles should be stored in the refrigerator but are best served at room temperature.
Notes
- For more tips on chocolate dipping check out the instructions at The Spruce Eats.
closes thing to heaven is Rebecca Ruth bourbon balls. i am from Ky and really miss those for xmas!!! been trying to find a recipe for them as i use to make them myself but cannot find invertase which I used for the center. thanks for the recipe as all others call for vanilla wafers and that is not real ky bourbon balls.
How beautiful these are. I must save this recipe!
Thanks Gabi! I just got home from spending several warm and wonderful days in Paducah, Ky. Kentucky is a beautiful state, especially this time of year. I’m so glad you had a nice experience there!
Wow- beautiful truffles and a beautiful blog too! I visited Kentucky last year and was so impressed by its beauty and graciousness.