I Need Schwetty Balls

August 13, 2007 6:03 AM

Good bourbon ball recipe?

I am attending a bring-your-own-food-pairing thing. I was thinking of bringing bourbon and bourbon balls. Does anyone have a good recipe? What bourbons work well for cooking? I prefer dry, dry bourbons with a lot of heat; should I use something sweeter? Also: not a good cook. Instructionals and general tips welcome. Thanks!

posted by sonofslim to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

The only bourbon ball recipe I have ever seen involves no cooking at all:

Crush 1 cup nilla wafers and mix with 1 cup finely chopped pecans, 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix 1/4 cup of bourbon with 1 1/2 cup light corn syrup. Stir into dry ingredients. Roll into balls, refrigerate. I've seen slightly different proportions, but never any substantially different recipe. It's pretty good, but not my favorite use for bourbon. I wouldn't go with too smokey a bourbon for this, either.
posted by crush-onastick at 6:22 AM on August 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

YMMV, but my grandmother's famous bourbon ball recipes involve putting the walnuts in good bourbon in a sealable glass jar and chilling for several weeks. She used to put it in at Thanksgiving to make Bourbon Balls for Christmas. So whatever you choose, get'em going now! Even a few days is better than no marinating at all.
posted by nkknkk at 6:42 AM on August 13, 2007

I'd caution you that bourbon balls are significantly improved by sitting for at least a week before eating. This allows the flavors to meld and mellow. If the pairing party is sooner than this weekend I might choose something else to bring.
posted by OmieWise at 6:42 AM on August 13, 2007

My recipe is almost the same as crush-onastick's. I use pound cake instead of vanilla wafers and skip the corn syrup. This recipe from Emeril Lagasse is pretty similar to mine.

Yes, they really do need time to "age." These are definitely an item to makes about a week in advance.
posted by 26.2 at 8:15 AM on August 13, 2007

Response by poster: nkknkk, is the same bourbon then used in the balls? Or should I leave it for the squirrels and use a new bottle? Unfortunately I only have 72 hours lead time, so I may have to postpone the confectioneering. But I'd give it a shot for Christmas.
posted by sonofslim at 10:45 AM on August 13, 2007

Thanks for posting this, I'm really interested in trying these myself. If you change your mind about what to make, it should be for this really easy recipe for Bourbon Braised Applesauce. I rough-mash it rather than process it, and use far more butter, bourbon and spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon) than are called for. It's amazing.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:56 AM on August 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you need a quick and easy food-pairing and you want to base it on whiskey, I like scotch and 'smores, which requires no cooking on your part, really. I think you could easily substitute a nice complex sipping bourbon for the scotch. Hershey's bars melt better in the oven than a lot of better eating chocolates.
posted by crush-onastick at 10:59 AM on August 13, 2007

Check this thread, for whiskey pairings, too.

(Wow, two Emeril recipes in one thread. Gotta love that guy.)
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:05 AM on August 13, 2007

Response by poster: Heh. My original question was going to be "what food should I pair with bourbon?" until I spotted that thread...
posted by sonofslim at 12:31 PM on August 13, 2007

Maker's Mark works well for cooking, as it's slightly sweet. But for drinking? 18 year-old Elijah Craig. So fine! And not available in Canada! :-(
posted by solongxenon at 12:50 PM on August 13, 2007

When I worked in a commercial bakery, "bourbon balls" or "rum balls" were made using any type of cake, pastry, or pie (really, *anything* - as long as it was not savory) leftover or unsold before the expiry date...mixed with rum/bourbon and formed into balls.

This recipe was the workhorse of the bottom line!
posted by Kensational at 4:25 PM on August 13, 2007