These boozy Bourbon Balls have been a Christmas tradition in my family for generations! No bake, and just a few easy steps—find a spot for them on the spread at your next holiday cocktail party!
Today would be my Grandma Henrietta’s 91st birthday. Sadly, I never got to celebrate her birthday with her in person, but my mom and sisters and I go out every year on her birthday to celebrate! My mom has kept her memory alive and well for me, and all of my siblings, through countless stories of my adventurous grandma who grew up on a ranch in North Dakota in the 1920’s. I think she and I would have been very close—from what my mom tells me, we have so many similarities. She was super crafty, which she passed down to my mom, who passed it on to me. And while she didn’t do a lot of cooking, when she did, my mom tells me it was always delicious.
^^^ Grandma Henrietta and Mom, 1975
My favorite recipe of hers is her Bourbon Balls. They have been a Christmas staple in our family for generations. My mom has made these every year for Christmas for as long as I can remember. I started making them myself a few years ago, and this year I made a slightly tweaked vegan version, which were quickly devoured at my church group’s Christmas party. These are the real deal—I hope my Grandma would be proud!
The dough for these Bourbon Balls comes together quickly in the food processor, and there is no baking involved. Just some chocolatey, messy rolling and you’re done! I hope that these become a favorite in your family like they are in mine! Share them with your friends too—they’ll love you for it! Be sure to tag me when you make these! {#frieddandelions // @frieddandelions}
Grandma Henrietta’s Bourbon Balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces plain crispy cookies (I like Annie’s Bunny Cookies, small animal crackers, etc. If you are GF, try some Enjoy Life cookies.)
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs use GF if needed
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar plus 1/4 cup saved for rolling
- 1 cup chopped walnuts see below for a nut free version
- 1/4 cup organic corn syrup or use another liquid sweetener if you prefer
- 1/4 cup bourbon
Instructions
- Pulse cookies and walnuts in food processor until they are a medium crumb.
- Add cocoa powder, bread crumbs, and powdered sugar and pulse again.
- Add corn syrup, bourbon, and mix well.
- Check the consistency—it should be a sticky dough that you can form a ball with. If it’s not moist enough, add more bourbon and corn syrup, 1 T at a time.
- Form into 1 “ balls (I used a teaspoon scoop to keep them uniform in size), and roll in confectioner’s sugar. Your hands will get pretty messy during the rolling process, but it is easy work. Blast your Christmas music and get rolling—I was able to get 5 dozen balls out of this batch of dough!
Notes
Haven’t tried these yet, but vegan GF version is on my list for the holidays. My question is…
Can they be made ahead, frozen and then rolled in powdered sugar just before serving?
I have never tried freezing them. But they do keep in an air tight container for a good while, so you could try making them up to a week ahead of time. I’m afraid if you freeze them and then try to roll them in the sugar they won’t be sticky enough.
We made these for our Christmas party. They’re fairly simple to make, and are absolutely delicious! The bourbon presence is just right: makes itself known, but isn’t overpowering. Just a note: We had some leftover graham cracker crumbs in our cupboard and used those in lieu of buying cookies and crushing them ~ made it that much easier!
I’m SO glad to hear this! They’re one of my favorites as well! Easy to make, and oh so yummy! Thank you for letting me know they were a hit!
These look delicious! they remind me of rum balls but I am a bourbon lover so i cant wait to try these
Oh, my Grandma Henrietta would be so pleased!!! They’re really yummy—it’s not Christmas without them!
I am all over these! I love anything boozy! I am really enjoying you sharing your family recipes and it is making me quite envious. I remember my Gran being an amazing cook but she died when I was I think about 10 and I can’t really remember anything she made. I would love to recreate/veganize some of her recipes! I need to interrogate my Mum!
I’m so grateful my mom has passed down these recipes, as my grandma died before I was born. Glad I can still connect with that part of my family!!! And yes to the booze!!!
You had me at bourbon! 🙂
What a great way to remember your grandma every year by making these. So sweet. And beautiful pictures!
Right? You can never go wrong with bourbon 🙂
And yes, it’s fun to make these and think about my grandma. I never got to meet her (she died in a car accident the week before I was born), but my mom has told me so many stories!
I love no-bake desserts! These remind me of the rum balls my mom used to make, which I don’t have the recipe for. I’m going to try these bourbon balls instead! (P.S. I love the old photo!)
You could use rum in these instead and they might be more like your mom’s? Or I bet kaluha would be yummy too!
Your Grandma would be so proud. These are a perfect Christmas treat!
Thank you Ginny!
That’s so sweet that you keep your grandma’s memory alive by making her recipes. Your veganized version looks so beautiful! I’m sure your grandma would be very proud.
Thank you! I hope (and am sure) she would!!! My mom and I are going out on Thursday for a celebratory lunch—we do every year! She would be 95 this year!
I love that you have your grandma’s recipes! I don’t have any family recipes, and I wish I did.
I bet you can’t eat just one! They sound so yummy! LOVE the new pics too!
Yeah, that’s been proven. Typically they’re eaten in quantities of 5 or more 🙂