BOURBON BALLS

My husband makes the world's best Bourbon Balls. Many people don't even know what that is. It is the perfect blend of chocolate and Bourbon. He made some for Christmas. And tonight he dipped some more in chocolate. Because I am in that happy place after eating one, I am putting the recipe on my Blog. It is his mother's recipe. She was a fabulous cook. Luckily she wrote this recipe down. Most of her food was a pinch of this, a little of that. Eating these is heaven.

DOLLY'S BOURBON BALLS

1 1/2 lb. pecans
8 oz. bourbon, (not Jack Daniels that is Tennessee whiskey), good Kentucky bourbon such as Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark, if you won't drink it, don't put it in food.
2 oz. water
2 lb. confectioners sugar
3 lb. semisweet chocolate
3 oz. paraffin

Break and combine pecans with Bourbon, cover and set aside for 4 hours or more. (We go overnight. ) Sift sugar and add pecans adding sugar gradually to a working consistency until a small ball can be made 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter. Water is to be used only to bring mixture to desired consistency. (We use Bourbon instead of water.) Add only to prevent ball from falling apart. Mixture should be semi-dry. Prepare balls and place on a wax papered cookie sheet. Place in freezer to cool, 2 or more hours.

Melt chocolate and paraffin and mix well. Chocolate should not be too hot. Just warm enough to work up. The warmer the mix, the thinner coating the Bourbon Balls will have.

Remove formed balls from freezer when ready to coat with chocolate. With fingers dip each ball to cover half of ball and return to cookie sheet. After this step return to refrigerator to harden chocolate approximately 1 hour. To coat top half of ball, when ready insert toothpick in the bottom that has already been coated and dip top in chocolate. Remove toothpick and return to cookie sheet, Refrigerate again to harden chocolate. Store balls in refrigerator.

We have recently bought a chocolate melter and a tool to dip chocolates. It makes it easier, but not required to make Bourbon Balls. Toothpicks do work.