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MAKER'S MARK® BOURBON BALLS
Enjoy an authentic taste of Kentucky at home with these tasty no-bake chocolate bourbon treats.
ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Bourbon balls are a Kentucky delicacy, invented here back in 1938 by Ruth Hanley Booe. Naturally, ours are made with Maker's Mark and feature a bourbon-infused pecan on top. Best of all, this recipe yields four dozen, so there’s plenty for you and plenty to gift to your soon-to-be-closer friends.
PREPARATION TIMES
Preparation Time: 4 hours 50 minutes, not including pecan soaking time
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp. Maker's Mark Bourbon
• 1 cup bourbon-soaked chopped pecans
• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar + 2 cups extra
• 1/4 lb. unsalted butter
• 8 oz. Hershey’s® All Natural unsweetened baking chocolate
• 4 tbsp. grated paraffin
• Whole pecans for topping each bourbon ball
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1 | Soak pecans for a week
• DO AHEAD: Place pecans in a jar – add Maker's Mark to cover 1 inch over pecans. Approx. 1-1/2 cups. Cover tightly with lid and let stand 7–10 days for pecans to absorb bourbon flavor.
STEP 2 | Drain the pecans
• Drain bourbon-soaked pecans thoroughly and set aside. Discard the whisky. It will be bitter and unusable now.
STEP 3 | Prepare the cream
• In a large bowl, cream the butter by using an electric mixer.
STEP 4 | Blend sugar, butter and Maker's Mark
• Add 1 pound sugar and Maker's Mark Bourbon alternately to the butter until blended.
STEP 5 | Add the pecans
• Gently stir in pecans.
STEP 6 | Place in refrigerator
• Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the mixture to stiffen.
STEP 7 | Prepare bowl and baking sheet
• Place 2 cups sugar in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 8 | Roll into balls
• Remove mixture from refrigerator. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions from mixture. Drop into sugar and then roll 1-inch ball. Place on baking sheet.
STEP 9 | Place balls in refrigerator
• Refrigerate 2 hours.
STEP 10 | Melt the chocolate
• Melt chocolate and paraffin in a small double boiler or use a coffee mug in a pan of boiling water. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
STEP 11 | Dip in chocolate and top with pecan
• Using a long toothpick, dip each ball into the chocolate and place back on the baking sheet. Immediately top with a whole pecan and allow to cool.
STEP 12 | Serve and enjoy
• Serve at room temperature. Store in refrigerator covered for up to 2 weeks.
TIPS FOR GREAT
Maker's
Mark® Bourbon
Balls
- SMOOTH FINISH
This one changed the way we think of bourbon, all because one man changed the way he thought about making it. Bill Samuels, Sr., simply wanted a whisky he would enjoy drinking. Never bitter or sharp, Maker's Mark is made with soft red winter wheat, instead of the usual rye, for a one-of-a-kind, full-flavored bourbon. To ensure consistency, we rotate every barrel by hand and age our bourbon to taste, not time. Each and every bottle of Maker's is still hand-dipped in our signature red wax at our distillery in Loretto, KY., just like Bill, Sr. would have wanted.
