Bourbon Balls

Probably the best thing about Winter here is that as far South as we live, it doesn't very often get just uncomfortably cold...it's nice weather to be outside most of the time. The part I enjoy the least is that there aren't very many festivals going on.

This recipe makes oh, probably thirty or forty bourbon balls, so they're perfect for a party. With this particular recipe, they can be frozen for a while too, so you can make a batch and then a week or two later take them back out and enjoy them then.

The more traditional recipe for bourbon balls calls for vanilla wafers and cocoa, but this recipe is a little different, mostly because the wafers aren't used, and the bourbon balls are actually dipped in chocolate. Av likes just about anything chocolate, so I figured this recipe would suit him best:

Bourbon Balls

Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1-1/2 cup pecans, chopped as fine as you like
4 tbsp bourbon (I used Maker's Mark for these)
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, thinned with a couple tbsp. butter and a splash of sweet milk (this is one of those things that you just have to play with the consistency, getting it not too thick and not too thin. Melt this chocolate/butter/milk mixture using the double boiler method - in a bowl over a simmering pot of water.)
Directions:Cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar. Once the butter and sugar is mixed together well, add the chopped pecans. I like the pecans in these to be pretty fine, but it's entirely up to your preference.

Add the bourbon, and mix again until the pecans and bourbon are entirely incorporated:

Place the mixture into a bowl, and set this in the freezer for an hour or so:

Even though the mixture will be cold, it will still be pliable enough to work into a round shape. I make these round and put them back in the freezer for a few minutes more (on parchment paper, on a baking sheet is easiest) just to make certain they hold their shape when they're dipped in the chocolate:

Next, I melt the chocolate mixture using the double boiler method. I use a toothpick and pick up the frozen rounds, dip them in the melted chocolate, and put them on a seperate baking sheet with parchment paper. Once these are all done, I pop them in the freezer until they're all set up (just a few minutes) and they're ready to enjoy.