KENTUCKY BOURBON BALLS
Adapted via the Joy of Baking
Serves: 20 to 24

Ingredients:
♦ 1 1/2 cups (100 grams) pecans or walnuts
♦ 1 1/2 cups (220 grams) vanilla wafer cookies, finely crushed
♦ 1/2 cup (55 grams) confectioners sugar (powdered or icing)
♦ 2 tbsp (15 grams) cocoa powder
♦ 1 1/2 tbsp molasses
♦ 1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 ml) bourbon
♦ 6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
♦ Crushed walnuts or pecans for garnish (optional)

Directions:
To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Put the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant – shake once or twice midway. Let cool completely. Finely chop the nuts (or blitz for a few seconds in a food processor). Set into a small bowl.

Process the vanilla wafer cookies in your food processor until finely chopped. Place the nuts back into the process – add the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder and process until combined. Add the corn syrup and bourbon and process a moment more. Add more bourbon if necessary. Chill the batter if need (if it’s sticky/too loose) and then shape into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls.

To decorate: Set about 3 ounces (90 grams) of chopped dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon of shortening or butter in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, remove from heat and dip the balls, one at a time, in the melted chocolate, making sure the entire ball is coated with chocolate. Then, with two spoons or a dipping fork, remove the bourbon balls from the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the chocolate covered balls on a baking sheet. When all the balls have been dipped in the chocolate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set. Once the chocolate has hardened you can garnish with chopped nuts.

Read more about these treats and my musical pairing by clicking HERE.