Day 10 of our 12 Days of Cookies extravaganza thing, and I have to say that I almost didn't make these bourbon balls because they seemed more like a confection than a cookie to me, except for the fact that they start with a whole bag of Oreos. Yes, crushed chocolate Oreos make the base for these decadent little treats, and the other taste treat is the bourbon soaked raisins.
Making these seemed like it would be so easy, and the mixing is very very easy; the rolling is what tripped me up. I ended up with some very sticky mixture that seemed to coat my hands in layers and I had to rinse my hands completely between each ball. Finally I decided the mixture needed some chilling time, so I covered it and stuck it in the frig hoping for a better rolling experience the next day. My hero, Michael, came to my rescue and rolled the remaining balls for me and his turned out beautifully. He coated them in cocoa before rolling and wore gloves to keep them from sticking so much.
The flavor is wonderful, though I would want more bourbon next time. One comment on the Gourmet site mentioned an experience with bourbon balls that sounds like the chef used considerably more bourbon than this recipe. In any case, plan ahead as these need to sit for at least a week before enjoying them to give the bourbon time to ferment with the sugar, but oh is it worth the wait.
Be sure to visit all our friends in the cookie clan to see what cookies they chose as well as the Gourmet website to see all their favorite cookies from 1941-2008.
The Rest of the Cookie Baking Clan
- Kelly of Sass & Veracity
- Courtney of Coco Cooks
- Judy of No Fear Entertaining
- Sandy of The Bakers Bench
- Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
- Jerry of Cooking By the Seat of My Pants
Bourbon Balls
Equipment
- small bowl
- large mixing bowl
- melon baller or similar small scoop
- airtight storage container lined with wax paper or plastic wrap
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped raisins
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (about an 18 ounce package of Oreos or similar, with the cream scraped out)
- ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
COATINGS
- finely chopped pecans
- cocoa powder
Preparation
- In the small bowl macerate (soak) the chopped raisins in the bourbon for 15 minutes.
- In the large bowl stir well the chocolate wafer crumbs, dark brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add the raisin mixture and molasses and stir until the mixture clumps together.
- Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls (we made them smaller). If the balls are a little dry and crumble, sprinkle some more bourbon over the mixture and stir again. Roll the balls in the chopped pecans or the cocoa powder.
- Store the bourbon balls in an airtight container in a cool dark place for at least 1 week before serving. Makes about 36 balls.
courtney says
I do love these. At work the ones they make for holiday parties are lethal.
Kiran says
This is a great recipe, what can I use as an alternative to molasses, I have tried to look for it but just cannot seem to find it. When you look at them they look like plain truffles but after reading the recipe they sound great. I suppose if it is that tricky to roll them then maybe just cutting squares should be good enough.
Judy says
I was going to make these but I had a hard time finding chocolate wafers (duh...oreos with the creme scraped out!!!). I do want to know what you did with all that yummy filling. I thought these looked to be real good. Did you really wait a week?
Claire says
ooooooh - wow. Those look deadly delicious - and a cookie that starts with a different cookie has a wonderful zen quality to it :). Thanks so much for suggesting this project - it's been a ton of fun!
kickpleat says
good to know! i'm planning on making these cookies too so i'm glad i read your write-up before i begin 🙂
Terry says
I make mine a little differently and thought you might like to try- next year- a different recipe.
1st night 2 c chopped pecans add to 2/3 c rum
2nd night 1 stick warm butter and 2 boxes powdered sugar- mix with rum and pecans
3rd night shape into balls -let sit over night
4th night cover in chocolate and enjoy
These get better with age and even the non drinkers seem to love these.
Andrea says
Thanks everyone! Terry, thanks for sharing your recipe, it sounds yummy.