Tallgrass Farm Bourbon Balls

ICONIC KENTUCKY - How could any collection of holiday food gift ideas for friends and family in Kentucky not include a version of the iconic bourbon balls? A true southern delicacy that extends its reach well beyond the Commonwealth, these no-bake treats, were reportedly first created in the early 1900s when Kentucky’s governor said he loved to follow chocolate with a sip of bourbon. The co-founder of Rebecca Ruth Candies, Ruth Hanly Booe, overheard the comment and she went to work, eventually creating the first commercial version.

This recipe using Woodford Reserve comes from Lois Mateus, co-founder of Tallgrass Farm Foundation near Harrodsburg and a former Brown Forman executive. The foundation aims to preserve the agricultural heritage of Kentucky farmland and rural communities by demonstrating sustainable methods and interpreting the connections between food, land, and community well-being through conservation, preservation, and educational programs both on and off the farm.

November 24, 2020

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 36 Pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup Woodford Reserve bourbon
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
16 ounces confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
36 pecan halves

Instructions

Soak chopped pecans in the bourbon for at least two hours, or overnight. Drain excess bourbon, if any.

Combine softened butter with confectioners’ sugar. Add coconut and chopped pecans and mix well.

Use a spoon or small scoop to shape mixture into one-inch balls (if mixture is too soft it is ok to add a little more sugar). Place 12 balls on wax paper on each of three plates that will fit in refrigerator. Chill at least 30 minutes.

While bourbon mixture is chilling, melt the chocolate in top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Remove balls from refrigerator and using a dipping tong or sturdy toothpick, dip each ball into chocolate to coat. Place a pecan half over each dipping hole. Put plates back in refrigerator for at least thirty minutes and then store bourbon balls in an airtight container until ready to serve.