This recipe is just what I was looking for: butter soft, sweet and creamy with a distinct bourbon bite. Enrobed in dark chocolate and topped with a fresh pecan half these Kentucky Bourbon Balls offer a memorable taste of home.
Kentucky Style Bourbon Balls
Today I finished the Bourbon Balls I promised many months ago. They were a long time coming. I put off making them and then had trouble finding the recipe I was looking for, the one I tried some years ago that made a creamy centered Bourbon Ball like the ones from Rebecca Ruth Candies.
I did find a recipe for chocolate dipped Bourbon Balls filled with crunchy pecan bits. It came from The Bourbon Book, a cookbook I bought in Bardstown, Kentucky many years ago. I made them and, though they are quite delicious, they failed to fully satisfy. They were just not quite what I was looking for, so the search continued.
And then, as you might expect, I finally found the recipe I’d been looking for exactly where I thought it was in the first place. Don’t ask me how that happens. It just does.
Smooth Buttercream Centers
This recipe was given to me by Aunt Hen long ago. Still it isn’t right to say it was Aunt Hen’s recipe. In fact I doubt that Aunt Hen ever made Bourbon Balls at all. I never knew Aunt Hen to indulge in strong drink. She didn’t even drink coffee. She never had any alcohol in her house that I knew of except for an old bottle of Mogan David wine. It had been given to her one Christmas. Since she was hard pressed to throw anything away, the bottle went into the bottom of her guest room closet. It sat there as long as I can remember. But bourbon whiskey? I doubt she would use it, even in cooking.
She was, however, more than willing to look through her cookbooks for a recipe for Bourbon Balls when I told her I was searching for one. When she found it she wrote out the recipe and sent it to me. She carefully noted at the bottom that it was from the cookbook Thoroughbred Favorites published in Louisville, Ky.
This recipe is just what I was looking for. These Kentucky Bourbon Balls have a filling that is smooth, butter soft, sweet and creamy. They also have a distinct bourbon bite. You can add a dash of vanilla, if you like, for a more complex flavor, but I usually don’t. Enrobed in dark chocolate and topped with a fresh pecan half these Bourbon Balls offer a flavorful reminder of home.
Kentucky Bourbon Balls
Course: Cookies and CandyCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium24
candies1
hour3
hoursThis recipe makes a filling that is butter soft, sweet and creamy with a distinct bourbon bite. Enrobed in dark chocolate and topped with a fresh pecan half these candies are a perfect taste of home.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar
4-5 Tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
4 to 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
30 whole pecan halves, for garnish
Directions
- Cream butter. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add bourbon and mix until incorporated. Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
- Form the buttercream mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm.
- Transfer buttercream centers to a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for at least an hour.
- When very firm: Place a toothpick in each bourbon ball, sticking the toothpick into the center.
- Melt chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave or in a double boiler. Mix and heat until smooth.
- Working quickly, dip the bourbon ball centers into the chocolate one at a time. Gently tap the toothpick against the side of the bowl to shake off excess chocolate. Set the coated bourbon ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. With another toothpick push the bourbon ball gently from its toothpick and cover the spot where it was with a pecan half.
- When all bourbon balls have been dipped allow them to rest until set. (To speed the process the pan of bourbon balls can be placed in the refrigerator.) When set, transfer the candies to a holiday tin or other storage container. The recipe Aunt Hen sent to me says, “Longer they set, stronger they get.”
Notes
- Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe Aunt Hen found in Thoroughbred Favorites.
- I often double, or even triple, the recipe when making these for gifts.
- If you find that you are having too much difficulty working with the soft centers you can add some additional powdered sugar to the mix.
- If you like pecans in the filling of your bourbon balls, I can suggest two variations on the recipe above. The first is to press a single pecan half into the candy center as you roll it into shape. The second is to soak 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans in the bourbon you will use in your filling. Then mix the ingredients, including the soaked pecans, and shape the candy balls as directed.
Too keep the chocolate smooth, I shave in about 5 shaving of food grade wax (used of canning) per 4 oz of chocolate. It works great!
Bauer's , Rebecca Ruth & Muth's candie stores all used this recipe as did my mother and grandmother and my father . This is THE "secret recipe" that has been around for the last seventy years that, I was taught to use. I also was born abd raised in St. Matthews, Ky.
I have been making these for close to sixty years and this is the same basic recipe that I was taught to use from the people that owned Bauer's candies in St. Matthews Ky. years ago.
Should these candies be refrigerated after finishing or just in an airtight container?
If your having problems with the filling and dipping, do like I did last year and make them like an Andie's mint, make a thin layer of chocolate in bottom of pan freeze it then spread your filling on top of that then do a top layer of chocolate, then freeze again and cut them into small bites, friends like them a lot because it wasn't a sugar shock like you get with the balls
Friends love the bourbon balls I get them from KY. I was hoping to making batches of them to hand out for Christmas this years. Approximately how many bourbon balls does the Chowhound recipe make?
Great idea, Anonymous! Thanks for posting.
Why not place your dipping chocolate in a hot water bath to keep the chocolate from cooling so fast from the cold balls?
Diane, my chocolate also tends to thicken over the course of dipping the centers. I find that it helps if the centers are very cold when I begin. Then the trick is to work quickly and with confidence. In the end the pecan on top serves to cover a variety of flaws in the dipping process!
I hope that helps. Thanks for your comment.
Diane
I am from Louisville, Ky My Mother made theses every year for Christmas and they were delicious and always looked great, I make them every year and they never look as good, after 3 or 4 dipped in chocolate, the chocolate sauce gets gummy, any solutions for not making this happen
Anonymous – Thank you for your question! No, I don't soak the pecan halves that I put on top of the chocolate. Though both recipes make great tasting bourbon balls I still prefer the one that calls for a smooth center and a plain pecan half on top. It provides a nice contrast in texture and the pecan top hides a good many imperfections in the chocolate coating process.
Good luck with your holiday candy making. Merry Christmas!
I am so excited to try making these tomorrow. You talk about soaking the nuts, if you just put the pecan half on top of the chocolate, do you soak them also?
I just finished making the bourbon balls today and they are delicious! I used more powdered sugar too. I can't keep my hand out of the container…just for one more taste! Mine aren't as pretty as yours are, but next time they will be prefect, now that I know how to make them. Thanks for your recipe!! Happy New Year from Tennessee!
Laura – Finished Bourbon Balls should be stored in an airtight container and kept in a cool place (to prevent melting). Storing them in the refrigerator isn't necessary but is often recommended. I think they stay fresh longer in the refrigerator but I don't always have room to keep mine there. In any case, they taste best if brought to room temperature before serving.
I'm in the process of making these. I formed the balls last night and will cover with chocolate today. Once I finish how are they best stored? In the refrigerator?
Thanks!
I finally found Aunt Hen's recipe for Bourbon Balls, the one I used the first time I made these. Hers came from an old spiral bound cookbook called "Thoroughbred Favorites".
Aunt Hen's recipe is almost the same as the one I used from Chowhound. It basically doubles this recipe, with a ratio of 1 box (1 lb. or about 3 3/4 cups) 10x sugar to 1 stick of butter and 4 Tablespoons of bourbon. This ratio would make the filling a little bit stiffer than the one I have posted ….so go ahead and add up to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar if you are having trouble forming the filling into balls.
To be honest, I don't remember Aunt Hen ever having bourbon in the house! If she ever actually made these she probably borrowed the bourbon from my dad. It is also quite possible that she simply chose this recipe, based on my interest, and wrote it down for me.
Anonymous -The fillings can be a little tricky. They are on the soft side, which is very appealing when eating these candies, but can be hard to work with. If you can, try to make them on a day when the weather is sunny and dry, since weather has a significant effect on candy making. If the filling is just too hard to work with, add more powdered sugar. You can try adding a little more when mixing the filling or simply roll the balls in it after they are formed. Try not to add so much that the filling dries out or that the sugar flakes off into the dipping chocolate.
I hope that helps. Best of luck!
I will be trying this recipe again this year. A couple of years ago I had issues with my creme filling setting…wish me luck this year! I plan to gift these delicious treats!
Lisa, thank you for sharing this recipe. My older sister use to make bourbon and rum balls every year. She did them around Halloween and put them up away until Christmas when they were shared/given as gifts. I remember them being very smooth and creamy. There was no strong "bite" BUT there was a warm feeling in ur chest after you ate them. She often consuled newbies to remember that actual alcohol was used not flavoring 🙂 . I did try a recipe that calls for wafers and chopped nuts to make the balls, but those are gritty tasting to me…I am going to make these this afternoon. Again thank you and have a Happy New Year.
Lisa, I have made bourbon balls for years and my favorite trick is to soak the pecan in the bourbon for a while, sometimes for weeks. I'm a Kentucky girl and I like my bourbon balls strong.
Julia – Bourbon Balls keep best when stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator or a cool room.
After the bourbons balls set, how can I store them? Can they stay out in plastic bags or bins as well?
I live near Louisville and have been looking for a recipe like this. These are wonderful. Maker's Mark is the bourbon I used also.
I live in Louisville Kentucky, less then a mile from Churchill Downs. Bourbon Balls are a Derby tradition. I've had the pleasure of sampling many different recieps and this one is by far the best. The seceat to really good Bourbon balls is to soak the nuts for at least 24 hours in a very good Bourbon. Do not skimp on the Bourbon. I highly recommend Makers Mark.
I'm Cat Chow from Chowhound and I'm thrilled these came out fabulous for you!! Yesterday I purchased my ingredients to make a 2012 holiday batch (for eatin' and giving away!). Can't wait!!
I am making bourbon balls for the first time after having some at a friend's house. The ones they had looked different as the filling seemed more cake like, but these look like what I ended up with using the recipe I located. I soaked the chopped nuts overnight and then mixed the butter/powdered sugar this morning and added the nuts. Instead of rolling the filling into balls, I used my Pampered Chef small scoop (like an ice cream scoop that you squeeze to release the filling) and made it into 24 balls (exactly what the recipe said it should make). They set up well in the refrigerator and are now ready to be dipped into the chocolate…just have to do that final step and then sample! I can't wait to try them!
Thank you so much for the advice…I'll ty adding a little more sugar. Less BOURBON?!?!?! Heavens NO! HA HA HA, I wouldn't dream of LESS 🙂
This recipe does make a very soft filling. I seriously doubt that you did anything wrong. Rolling the centers can be messy. Maybe these ideas will help:
You might try putting the filling in the freezer for a while. You don't want to freeze it at this stage but the colder the better.
Try using a small cookie dough scoop (mine is about 1.25 inches wide) to portion the filling mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. This gives it a rounded shape to begin with. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator or freezer for a while. Then quickly roll each portion into a ball with powdered sugar coated hands. You can also dust the balls with powdered sugar just before rolling if needed. Then place them in the Ziploc bag in the freezer as directed. You might also want to roll them in powdered sugar again before dipping in the chocolate coating. On the whole, it would amount to treating them much like the ganache described in this post for Vanilla Chile Truffles ( myownsweetthyme.com/2008/02/vanilla-chile-truffles.html ) but using powdered sugar rather than cocoa powder.
Another possibility would be to add more powdered sugar to the mixture before rolling. Most other recipes I've seen call for about 1 pound of confectioners sugar per 1/2 cup butter and about 1/4 cup bourbon. One pound of confectioners sugar can measure out to as much as 4 cups. That would indicate that adding more to this recipe won't hurt anything but it will result in a firmer filling for the finished candy. I love the centers to be as soft as possible, so add more sugar gradually. That said, no matter how much you feel you need to add I believe they will still turn out well. Next time, you could also make a firmer mixture by decreasing the amount of bourbon used by a Tablespoon or two.
I tried making these last night, using the (RR inspired recipe). I refrigerated the mix, however I cannot get it to firm up enough to roll into balls. Hmm…I wonder what I did wrong. Any thoughts? I took 3 1/2 cups powder sugar, 1/2 cup room temp butter and blended until smooth. Then I added 5 Tbsp bourbon and blended. Then I placed in the fridge. Well, it's been 18 hours and the mix is still too soft to roll into balls. PLEASE HELP!
jin088@aol.com
I made this recipe again, in large quantity, this past Christmas. They really are a treat and hold up well for several weeks. I wish I had some of the hickory nuts mentioned by Lydia to give them an authentic regional twist. That sounds delightful. And soaking the nuts, if you plan to include them in the filling, sounds like a great idea to boost the bourbon flavor.
Thanks for all of your comments. I love the memories and the enthusiasm!
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I too love the Rebecca Ruth bourbon balls that every distillery in KY sells (under their own name of course, but they're all made by RR). I live in Portland, but go to Kentucky most summers to visit family, and I always intend to buy bourbon balls to give out to friends, but they never seem to quite make it past the plane ride.
I'll try your recipe and hopefully have enough left when I'm through indulging to share.
Looked high and low for the bourbon ball recipe my mom used to make couldn't find in any of my recipes. Finally started an internet search and could only find bourbon balls made with wafers (yuck). Here I found the recipe with a few exceptions. My mom always took the pecans and let them soak in the bourbon before adding to the sugar and butter (usually for 24 hr), she always used Maker's Mark, and for the true bourbon lover's she'd shoot a small amount of whiskey into the center with a syringe. Thanks so much for posting the recipe. I am going to make several copies in case I lose it again.
Nancy, Jupiter FL
I really enjoyed this recipe as well as some others you have on this blog. Very well done, I even linked your blog from one of my Hubpages.
I just couldn’t resist! lol.
Keep up the great work!
I grew up on a farm outside of Springield, KY, just 22 miles from Bardstown, with these as one of our traditional Christmas candies.
Instead of pecans, my mother used black walnuts we’d gathered earlier in the fall and spread in the driveway to run over again and again to remove the outer husks. She’d soak the chopped nuts overnight in bourbon, drain, and then, mix into the fondant mixture. She also dipped them in dark chocolate.
She’d also make divinity w/ black walnuts, so we’d kind of have the positive-negative thing going on the candy dish.
So glad I found this recipe!
Wonderful memories!
These sound like a winners to me. What a perfect gift to make and give. I think I even have some bourbon around here somewhere!
look at those innards! i knew there was some reason i always liked kentucky. 🙂
These look incredibly good! Your photo is so good that I want to reach out and grab one of your bourbon balls.
Oh, wow! These look fantastic. I love the combination of butter and bourbon. And the chopped nuts too, of course.
OMG, those look BEYOND decadent! I’ve never actually had bourbon before–but hey, who cares? I’ll take some of those!