Saturday, May 4, 2013

Kentucky Bourbon Balls for Derby Day


The changes I planed to make to the blog are nearly completed. Most of the advertising and clutter have been removed. I was beginning to feel like a carny shill and the chaos of it all was getting to me. I will continue to work with Jenn and Ben at The Foodie Blogroll and will place more emphasis on my Amazon Store in order to keep the blog self supporting, but I plan to keep clutter and advertizing to an absolute minimum. My Amazon Store, which I hope you will visit often, can be found in the pages underneath the blog header, along with some new features I hope you will enjoy or find useful. There is now a Master Recipe Index and there are pages for weekly and seasonal menus. The weekly menu will change every Sunday and the seasonal menus will change in accordance with holidays and/or the seasons. I will, at least for a period of time, be making a push to direct you to my social media sites.

When the Silver Fox and I swapped coasts, the cell phone was still in its infancy and social media was unheard of. If, while walking down the street, you encountered someone who appeared to be talking to themselves, you immediately assumed they were deranged and quickly moved on by. Nowadays, the world is has changed and a walk through a mall or a stroll down the street is akin to visiting the land of the exiled book lovers, who constantly recited their books in Fahrenheit 451. Everyone is wired and everyone seems to have a lot to say, so much so, that the cell phone proved not to be enough and Twitter and Facebook burst on the scene to fill the void. I claimed a small piece of territory in each, but didn't do much with either of them until now. That means I've fallen behind the times and I'm going to ask you to help me catch up by visiting my Facebook fan page or following me on Twitter. If you look in the column to the right of this post you'll see my Facebook fan page. Please pay me a visit. I have no idea of what I'll be doing there, but I promise you it will be great.I hope to see you there soon. Now, on to the recipe of the day.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a whisp of a recipe to share with you today. I'm nearly out of ideas for Derby Day and I had to dig deeply into my grab-bag to find a recipe that I hadn't already shared with you. Bourbon balls are among the easiest of cookies to make and their connection to Kentucky can't be argued. Because they are festive and simple to make I thought they'd be perfect for today. I found recipes galore for their assembly, and by process of elimination, and a boatload of bourbon, I might add, I settled on this one from Bon Appetit magazine, mainly because it was a favorite of their editorial staff. There are a few tricks to their assembly, however, and I think you'll find that all cookies of this type are easier to make if you process the dry ingredients together in a food processor so the crumbs are of uniform size. It also helps to mix the Karo syrup with the bourbon before adding the liquids to the dry mixture. If the dough is too dry to form into balls don't be afraid to add a bit more bourbon. Now,  for the part that is missing from most recipes. Once the balls are formed, let them sit for 24 hours before rolling them in powdered sugar. They can be stored in an airtight for several months, and, like a good fruit cake, they are best when aged and allowed to ripen for at least six weeks before eating. I know you will enjoy these. Here is the recipe. Bottom's up!

Kentucky Bourbon Balls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
4 cups ground vanilla wafers, about 88 wafers
1 cup ground pecans
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons white Karo syrup
1/2 cup good bourbon whiskey

Directions:
Mix vanilla wafers and pecans together in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add Karo syrup and bourbon to dry mixture and process to combine. Shape into small balls, about the size of a large cherry, and roll in confectioners' sugar. Makes about 40 balls, depending on size.













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Southern Nut Cake

15 comments :

Alessandra said...

Ciao Mary, I like the new look of the the blog, and your photo :-). Yes mobile phones and social media are taking over, although I use mobile phones very little myself, actually, I use my phone mostly as a camera!!!

BTW, lovely Bourbon balls, yum!

Ciao
Alessandra

Pondside said...

These look deadly for the diet!....but then who would want to be on a diet with these around?
Mary, you are far and away ahead of me. I'm not on facebook and I don't tweet. Perhaps when I stop working I'll do that, but right now it just seems like too much for me.

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Mmm, I agree, social networking and mobiles is taking over, but I have to say, I am all for the buzz!
As for these balls, I am all over them too :D
Yum!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

Love what you're doing here, Mary. Although I have a Sprigs of Rosemary Facebook page and a Twitter account, I'm not very active. You're inspiring me again! (And it [almost} goes without saying I love the bourbon balls -- Happy Derby Day!)

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Happy Derby Day and I love your bourbon balls. I also love your new look and Facebook page. I need to get with it before the reader goes away. Thanks for the inspiration. Love your new photo too!
Sam

Tanna said...

I am loving the new look, Mary, including your new photo. If I did either fb or twitter, I'd be racing to plug in to your spots... but, I'm an old fogey. ;)

Happy Derby Day!! blessings ~ tanna

Barbara F. said...

Happy Kentucky Derby Day, Mary! These look and sound so yummy. I want to try that nut cake, I pinned it from Pinterest!! xo

Ginny Hartzler said...

You are really branching out! I had no idea you have an Amazon store!!! I guess you put things you like on it, then you get a percentage of sales? the colorful wooden bowl is soooo pretty!! Your blog is looking cleaner and prettier all the time! Well, I clicked the Facebook link beside your followers box, but what I got was not your Facebook age, it is a an article about plugins. I WOULD love to friend you on Facebook, but there are so many Marys...

Kat said...

Your bourbon balls look great. Have a great Derby Day.

Kim said...

These looks absolutely delicious! Social networkig and mobiles... not a lot for me... I don't even have a mobile phone...

A Paixão da Isa said...

o look do blog esta mt bonito gosto mt assim como essas bolinhas humm bjs feliz fim de semana

Gwen said...

What a fun treat! I had to declutter my blog too but I still am not very tech savvy and wish I could figure out how to 'branch out' more. Love the master recipe page.

David said...

Mary, I printed this recipe out for my better half...as she's into the Derby and this is a great accompaniment to the day. For this year, we'll just have to content ourselves with Bourbon Slushies! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Tammy said...

Hi Mary! I love what you have been doing with your site...It looks fantastic! :D

These bourbon balls sound so good...perfect for a party. Have a beautiful and joyous weekend.

xo,
Tammy<3

Joanne said...

The new look is great! Very clean. :) I made bourbon balls for Christmas but they were chocolate and now I really want to try this vanilla version!

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