Fudgy Bourbon Balls Recipe (2024)

Decided to make holiday cookies just after making a Covid commitment to go NOWHERE - not even the grocery store. No chocolate wafers on hand. But I did have graham crackers. Wasn't sure the cocoa powder would be enough chocolate to I substituted stem ginger. No bourbon, subbed brandy. And they are good! Next time might try Grand Marnier or maybe add some shredded coconut. This is a recipe to have fun with. And since it goes together in 15 minutes or less, cut it in half and play away!

The Nabisco chocolate wafers are often out of stock this time of year. You can substitute Orios by first scraping off the white filling. Use a knife- don't scrape it off with your teeth!

Yes! Chocolate and orange is a wonderful combo. They will be a little sweeter than those made with bourbon, so you might want to reduce the sugar a bit.

Use "good bourbon"? There's such a thing as bad bourbon?

My chocolate loving husband sent me this recipe. Sadly, he is allergic to nuts. Can I add more wafers in place of the nuts and have these work?

It is very helpful to wear latex gloves when rolling the dough into balls then into the sugar - no sticking to your hands and it doesn't really stick to the gloves either. Works like a charm with other cookies that need to be rolled in sugar - e.g. polvorones.

Another variation - Trader Joe's Triple Ginger cookies, good rye....Enjoy

I’ve made these using Biscoff cookies... delicious!

Thank using Grand Marnier instead of bourbon risks making them too sweet and maybe sticky. I would leave out the honey, at least.

I made these, following the recipe exactly, and found them dry, crumbly, and falling apart. They were already like this right after I made them, before I stored them overnight. (I can't imaging leaving them out.) Any suggestions on how to fix this? I usually make rum balls for Christmas, using melted chocolate (not powder) and - I know this is taboo - Karo syrup. and don't have this problem. Liked the taste of these, but was disappointed.

More bourbon worked. I found that keeping my hands moistened with water helped with forming the cookies. A few hours later I tried one and it was tasty and almost fluffy -- and definitely bourbon-y!

Just increase the cookie crumbs - I've been making a similar recipe that way for years!

This is a fun and forgiving recipe that tastes amazing. Being a covid refugee in a small town, was unable to locate those great Nabisco chocolate wafers or chocolate grahams. Substituted chocolate Belvita breakfast biscuits so you get “4 hours of nutritious, steady energy” (or so the package says) along with a nip of bourbon

After reading comments did the following. Chocolate graham crackers and all ingredients except bourbon. Subbed Cointreau for bourbon. After mixing let sit for 30 minutes, then rolled into balls. 1/2 cup alcohol does not make dough wet enough to sit out uncovered for over 8 hours. Placed on tray, covered with press n' seal overnight. Morning rolled in powered sugar. Overnight sitting turned balls firm & fudgy. No crumbling & didn't fall apart. Great flavor even without suggested 3-4 day wait.

I followed the recipe but did not leave the dough out to dry. Began to form balls immediately using my cookie scoop to measure dough, which I then made denser by rolling by hand.

I've made this recipe 3 Christmases now, but this year I couldn't find chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate graham crackers so I used thin fudge Oreos. This made a much wetter mixture that was unappealing at room temperature. However, once I realized I should store them in the fridge I think they tasted better than the original recipe I've made for the past 3 years. 5 stars! PS - a good bourbon makes a difference here. I love to use Willett.

Turned out great. However after reading other comments I decided to split the difference and roll them out later in the afternoon after making them in the morning (not waiting overnight ). They were very dry & crumbly by the then so I added more bourbon. Worked out great. Waited about 27-28 hours to try them. Delicious!

I'm gluten free and had good success with Simple Mills chocolate nut thins. I also did not let the mixture dry out; I gave it an hour or so and then rolled into balls and coated them with cookie crumbs. They are SO good. I never knew I wanted to eat my bourbon...I used Bulleit, for what it's worth.

I made these using the chocolate cat shaped cookies from Trader Joe’s. Great recipe. I’ve made it for years at Christmas to share with friends.

An update for bakers: nabisco discontinued its Famous Chocolate Wafers in September 2023, after making them since 1921. Bye bye icebox cakes and many other recipes!

I’ve made this a couple times - easy and delicious! I have been adding about a teaspoon of espresso powder and a heaping tablespoon of finely ground pot. I’m guessing this leads to about 5mg per square. Careful…it takes 20-30 minutes to get into your system.

What does one do now that Famous wafers have been discontinued by the Mendelez group??

I have used the chocolate covered gram stars by Stauffer’s that come out at Christmas. They were a gift for my cousin who loves bourbon. He said they were the bomb!

I used thin oreo cookies but did not bother to scrape off the frosting. I figured the frosting would act as a binder and it worked just fine! Tastes delicious too!

Decided to make a different version this year with Screwball (peanut butter whiskey, don’t knock it til you try it). They are delicious! What could be bad with chocolate and peanut butter?

I made these from scratch by starting with King Arthur's chocolate graham cracker recipe. They were fantastic, especially after sitting at room temp for a week or so. Will be making a double batch this year and starting early!

Made this for a Kentucky Derby party and they were a big hit! So easy to make and I followed the recipe exactly as written. Agree about making them a couple of days before you want to serve to let them mellow. These are definitely going to be added to my holiday cookie repertoire!

As others have commented, when made according to recipe, the dough for these balls was dry and crumbly making them very hard to roll. As a result, I wound up adding a bit more bourbon and using a melon baller to produce very compacted half round orbs. instead of using confectioners sugar for rolling, I dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate and refrigerated briefly to set. Left over 'buttons' froze beautifully.

Any thoughts on using cashews in lieu of pecans?

Love these even M&R. made very small. Froze dough