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Bourbon Balls

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 Bourbon Balls ~ an easy no-bake cookie that's been a family favorite for generations. Grab a bottle of your favorite bourbon or rum and mix up these delicious grownup holiday treats. www.savingdessert.com #savingroomfordessert #bourbon #bourbonballs #rumballs #nobakecookies #holidaytreats

Bourbon Balls ~ an easy no-bake cookie that’s been a family favorite for generations. Grab a bottle of your favorite bourbon or rum and mix up these delicious grownup holiday treats.

These lovely little gems are always a big hit wherever they pop-up.  Bourbon Balls require no cooking and only a few happy ingredients. Our Bourbon Balls are super easy to make too. If you don’t get to them for Christmas, perhaps you can put them on your New Year’s Eve menu.
Bourbon Balls ~ an easy no-bake cookie that's been a family favorite for generations. Grab a bottle of your favorite bourbon or rum and mix up these delicious grownup holiday treats. www.savingdessert.com #savingroomfordessert #bourbon #bourbonballs #rumballs #nobakecookies #holidaytreats
Someone once told me not to use the “good stuff” to make these cookies. They suggested that I buy cheap bourbon or rum to use in recipes.  I thought about this for a while and believe they are totally wrong when it comes to this particular recipe.  The smoother the firewater, the better the cookie, if you ask me.  I like a good smooth bourbon anyway, but unfortunately I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking. I can get a buzz from these cookies if I haven’t eaten a good breakfast!
This was my mother’s recipe for Bourbon Balls. Mom always kept her baked goods out in the cold garage in old fruit cake tins. I remember as a young girl, we would sneak out into the garage to eat one or two of these strong little confections.  I think Mom must have counted the cookies, because somehow she always knew we’d been into the tins. Moms always know 🙂
Bourbon Balls ~ an easy no-bake cookie that's been a family favorite for generations. Grab a bottle of your favorite bourbon or rum and mix up these delicious grownup holiday treats. www.savingdessert.com #savingroomfordessert #bourbon #bourbonballs #rumballs #nobakecookies #holidaytreats
Be sure to grate your pecans for this recipe, it makes all the difference in the texture. Plus I’m not sure how much you’ll need if you use chopped pecans. To make it super easy, use a small cookie scoop to make these Bourbon Balls. Once you scoop out the dough, roll it firmly between your palms until they form a nice, tight, bite-sized ball. Roll the balls in powdered sugar and set them aside for about an hour. Re-roll the cookies in more powdered sugar and store in an air-tight container in a cold garage or refrigerator.

These cookies are actually better the next day after the bourbon has had time to blend with the other ingredients.

The Bourbon Balls can be bold and give you a little buzz if you eat too many, so take it easy especially at an office holiday party! These are our son’s favorite Christmas treats – so these are for him.  Come and get ’em Patrick!

Thanks for PINNING!

A stack of powdered sugar coated bourbon balls

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5 from 1 vote

Bourbon Balls

Prep Time: 30 mins
Yield: 50 Cookies
Course: Dessert
PRINT RECIPE
A simple no-bake cookie and family favorite for generations. Make with your favorite bourbon or rum for a delicious grownup treat

Ingredients

  • 3 cups vanilla wafers, crushed (11oz box)
  • 1 cup ground pecans
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, plus 2 cups for rolling
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup, or Lyle’s Golden Syrup
  • 1/2 cup bourbon or rum

Instructions

  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crushed vanilla wafers, ground pecans, 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder. Whisk to combine.
  • In a 1-cup measuring cup, whisk together the corn syrup and bourbon. Add the bourbon mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together using a spatula until all ingredients are combined. It may seem dry at first, but keep mixing, it will all come together.
  • Place 1 to 2 cups of powdered sugar in a flat bowl or rimmed plate. Roll the dough (firmly) into 1-inch balls (or use a small cookie scoop), then immediately roll in the powdered sugar. Place the cookies on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Continue rolling until all cookies are coated in powdered sugar. Set the cookies aside for 1 hour, then roll again in the powdered sugar. Store the bourbon balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes

Notes: Be sure to use ground pecans, not chopped.
Makes 50 cookies

Here are a few of our favorite kitchen tools used when making these Bourbon Balls – each photo is clickable for more information:

If you decide to purchase something at Amazon after following my affiliate link, I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog.

We have a few recipes featuring bourbon so if you’re looking for more, check out our easy Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars with Bourbon & Sea Salt, and this creamy, smooth Butterscotch-Bourbon Pudding. If you’re crazy for nuts, you’re going to love this Bourbon & Butterscotch Nut Tart – so delicious! I really want to whip up a batch of these Bourbon Salted Caramel Candy from A Spicy Perspective. And, last but certainly not least, head over to The View from Great Island and drool over her beautiful Black Bottom Bourbon Pecan Pie, wow!

Happy shopping and baking my friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by.

 Tricia
Originally posted December 11, 2010, updated December 2017

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32 Comments

  1. Diane says

    December 5, 2019 at 9:56 am

    5 stars
    My parents used this same recipe, except they aged the cookies for 7 weeks in a sealed tin. My dad was the “baker” for these and they were a holiday tradition.
    On their recipe is a note that apricot brandy can also give good results.

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 5, 2019 at 4:15 pm

      Hi Diane – Bourbon balls won’t last that long in our house – haha. Everybody loves them. I bet the apricot brandy would be great – thank you for sharing! Food memories are the best 🙂

      reply to this comment >
  2. Laura says

    December 20, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    Is there a substitute I could use for the pecans? Tree nut allergy here.

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 20, 2018 at 8:22 pm

      Hi Laura. I am not really sure what would be a good substitute other than ground flax seed maybe. That’s a tough one! So sorry about your allergies. I’ll keep searching but you may know better than me what would be a good substitute. This recipe needs something in place of the ground nuts. Good luck and sorry I’m not more help.

      reply to this comment >
  3. Lorraine says

    April 18, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    These are absolutely wonderful and very easy to make. I made them during the holidays and have been asked for the recipe several times. Think I’ll not wait long before I make up another batch. Thanks!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      April 22, 2018 at 3:39 am

      Yeah! Thanks so much for the feedback Lorraine. These have been in our family for decades – a favorite every year but I agree we should not wait until the holidays to make another batch 🙂 Thanks again for trying our recipe!

      reply to this comment >
  4. Susan says

    December 17, 2017 at 11:03 am

    Such a cute story about sneaking out in the garage 🙂 These look fabulous!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 17, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      Thanks Susan – we were busy kids for sure 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful, blessed Christmas!

      reply to this comment >
  5. Wendy says

    December 16, 2017 at 11:48 pm

    Would you believe I have never had rum or bourbon balls (nut allergy), but I do remember my mom made rum balls that everyone loved. Your photos, as usual, are gorgeous. Well worth the update ! I bet these would make very welcome gifts!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 17, 2017 at 8:33 am

      Thanks Wendy! Hope you are enjoying a lovely holiday season and Happy Hanukkah to you and your family!

      reply to this comment >
  6. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

    December 16, 2017 at 7:53 am

    So lovely and no-bake treats are always a great idea 🙂

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 16, 2017 at 8:22 am

      Bourbon is always a good idea too – thanks Jennifer!

      reply to this comment >
  7. Monique says

    December 15, 2017 at 9:55 pm

    How different with vanilla wafers!Thanks Tricia..so festive!

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 16, 2017 at 8:21 am

      Thanks Monique – and tasty 🙂

      reply to this comment >
  8. Janet Hart says

    December 15, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    Hi Tricia
    I found my Mother’s recipe for Burbon Balls – she did not use cocoa powder. Have you tried these without cocoa powder? I can’t find any recipes without it – just wonder if she her re pie is wrong?
    Thank you

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 16, 2017 at 8:20 am

      Hi Janet – no I have not tried making them without cocoa powder, but a blogger friend of mine made them with Chocolate Nabisco Wafer Cookies (see her recipe here: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/readers-recipes-no-bake-bourbon-balls/) I think they would be fine without the cocoa. I personally want to try them with more chocolate / cocoa. I don’t think her recipe is wrong, just different. Maybe somebody didn’t like chocolate – but that’s not me haha. Happy holidays!

      reply to this comment >
  9. 2 sisters recipes says

    December 15, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    I always have my eye on these little gems and look forward to making them sometime this week.
    Hope you are having a good weekend! 🙂

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 16, 2017 at 8:21 am

      Hey Liz! Merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!

      reply to this comment >
  10. Chris Scheuer says

    December 15, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    I’d have to hide these from my kids and myself. And definitely keep count of them 🙂 They’re beautiful Tricia and sound amazing!

    reply to this comment >
  11. sue | theviewfromgreatisland says

    December 15, 2017 at 11:09 am

    Oh gosh, I’m afraid once I started on these I wouldn’t be able to control the situation ~ pinning and sharing these little gems!

    reply to this comment >
  12. Larry says

    December 15, 2017 at 8:24 am

    I haven’t had these in 100 years and yours look delicious.

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 15, 2017 at 9:48 am

      Thank I hope you get the chance to make these soon Larry 🙂 Enjoy!

      reply to this comment >
  13. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    December 15, 2017 at 7:16 am

    Super easy and delicious..I guess other quality liquor would work too..for example Cognac?

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 15, 2017 at 7:46 am

      Cognac sounds wonderful Angie – let me know if you try it 🙂 Enjoy!

      reply to this comment >
  14. Eryn says

    December 13, 2016 at 2:33 pm

    How many does this approximately make?

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      December 13, 2016 at 3:06 pm

      Hi Eryn – great question. I believe it is about 42-46 cookies. They are small bite sized balls so depending on how large you make them, your final count may be different. These are a treat for sure! I’ll update the recipe when I make them this year. Sorry and thanks!

      reply to this comment >
  15. Joy says

    November 19, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Has anyone used graham cracker crumbs as a substitute?

    reply to this comment >
    • Tricia Buice says

      November 19, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Hi Joy! I think this is a brilliant idea! I’ve never tried it and am not sure if others have as well. But we’ll put this out there for our readers and hope someone can help. I’ve used rum or bourbon and both are great. I am partial to bourbon, but only as a personal preference. People ask me to make these year after year. They can be a little strong – but in a good way 🙂 Enjoy and thank you so much for the terrific question. Have a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season! Thanks so much for commenting and for visiting.

      reply to this comment >
    • Brent says

      December 5, 2017 at 11:12 pm

      Graham cracker crumbs work but vanilla wafers add a whole new level of flavor. My absolute favorite thing to use, however, are the little crispy gingerbread men you find around the holidays.

      reply to this comment >
      • Tricia Buice says

        December 6, 2017 at 4:24 pm

        Oh that sounds greats Brent – thanks for sharing!

        reply to this comment >
  16. Anonymous says

    May 8, 2013 at 12:45 am

    Making these for my husbands "whiskey themed" birthday party as take home favors. Thanks for all the info!

    reply to this comment >

Trackbacks

  1. WHISKEY GIRL BOOZY TREATS | Whiskey Girl says:
    December 18, 2015 at 10:25 am

    […] Adapted from: https://www.savingdessert.com/2010/12/bourbon-balls/ […]

    reply to this comment >

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