Christmas Desserts: The Odyssey Continues

Last week I had no idea what I was in for when I started Phase Two of the bourbon ball process. This involved melting chocolate on a double boiler (I constructed my own by placing a glass mixing bowl over a simmering sauce pot) and covering the bourbon ball in chocolate. It sounds deceptively easy. But I assure you, it was not. My recipe recommended refrigerating the bourbon ball filling, but giving how quickly it melted in the chocolate, I think freezing it might have helped. I also suggest letting the chocolate cool down a bit as well. My first few bourbon balls were disasters:

Things got progressively better, but they still did not resemble the perfect candies my grandma made or the pictures in recipe books. They looked more like a chocolate Jabba the Hut, encasing everything in sight with chocolate:


I had nightmares of the bourbon ball eating everything in its path until it started to take over DC and moved up the coast.

The final batch turned out somewhat normal looking, though they were still melting on the spot in spite of having spent some time in the freezer.

I had better luck with the Buckeyes. They were more cooperative and generally easier to make. In the time it took to make three bourbon balls, I could make ten buckeyes and with half the mess. What's not to love?

The morning of the potluck, I was convinced that the buckeyes would be the hit of the party and the bourbon balls were not worth the hassle. Why not just order some? So I was shocked when the bourbon balls turned out to be the hit of the party, overshadowing the more attractive Buckeyes.

I'm still a far way from the perfect candy I envision, but I think the bourbon balls deserve another go and one day they will taste fantastic AND not resemble little chocolate monsters!

For your reference, here is how I modified the original recipe I worked from:

Kentucky Bourbon Balls – My recipe
Filling:
2 ¼ sticks of butter
3 ½ cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of bourbon flavored vanilla
Bourbon to taste (at least 5-15 tablespoons of Maker’s Mark)

Let butter melt and whip it with the powdered sugar. Add Maker’s Mark and mix once again. Place in fridge for an hour.

Make filling into about one inch balls, stick a tooth pick into each ball, and freeze overnight.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler. Once chocolate has melted, remove from fire and let cool a bit (but not too long as it needs to be liquid enough to allow you to dip the bourbon balls). Dip the bourbon balls in chocolate and let cool for a minute or two before pulling out the toothpick; if the bourbon balls are not cool enough, they will disintegrate when you take the toothpick out. Place a pecan on top of the ball to conceal the toothpick mark and decorate. Place in the refrigerator to cool.