Kentucky Bourbon Balls

Today I was thinking instead of sharing something I know, I would share some new I tried. Even after all these years I still find new recipes and traditions to explore.

The Kentucky Derby celebration has been held by my sister-in-law for the last 5 years. Every year we look forward to the hats, the dresses, and the food. Keeping with her food theme I chose a dessert that is straight from the home state of Kentucky.

One of my favorite alcohols is Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Sweet, full bodied, and unique to the derby. Bourbon balls are delicious morsels, simple and insanely sweet. From what I have gathered they are bourbon flavored frosting balls, dipped in chocolate, and topped with toasted pecans.

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

By Stefanie Schuckert

Chocolate dipped bourbon frosting balls, topped with toasted pecans.

Prep time: 2 hours, Total time: 2 hours
Yield: 30-40/1" Balls

Ingredients:
Butter 1 stick/1/2 cup
Coconut Oil 1 Tablespoon
Powdered Sugar, sifted 4-5 cups
Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 2 Teaspoons
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips 12 ounce bag
Pecans, Toasted
White Chocolate, melted
Instructions:

Cream together butter, coconut oil, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

Slowly add in bourbon and vanilla. Mix until fully blended.

Refrigerate mix while you melt chocolates, and toast pecans.

When ready scoop out 1" portions/about a tablespoon on to a sheet pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer and roll into more uniform balls. Freeze again 15 minutes.

Dip in melted chocolate, allow to chill and decorate with white chocolate and pecans.

Printable Recipe
To say the least making these things came in a few more steps than I realized. It was nice and toasty in my house so I had to keep putting the bites in and out of the fridge. The longer they sat out the more they began to soften, making it extremely hard to dip in warm chocolate.

At the end of the day I feel they worked out amazing. A little sweet for my taste, but the party seemed to enjoy them. Complements from left and right. I am defiantly going to do these again. Now that I have an idea of what they are suppose to be , I can make them even better next time.

Have you ever struggled to create a recipe of your own? I feel it is a release of creativity and growth of skill. Trying things is how I have come to love what I do. Even in my thought of failure or struggle I grow with each new experiment. With good fun and an open mind these bourbon balls are a perfect addition to any Kentucky Derby celebration.