Infused with the sweet flavor of bourbon, these Bourbon Balls with White Chocolate are a fun twist on holiday rum balls. Bourbon balls are a no-bake recipe that can be ready in a jiffy. Share some holiday cheer this season and pass around the plate of these amazing Bourbon Balls!
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Dusted in icing sugar or sparkling sugar, these tasty Bourbon Balls with White Chocolate are the perfect holiday recipe. They’re boozy – but not too boozy, sweet – but not too sweet, and are a quick fix that freezes perfectly.
What You Need To Make Bourbon White Chocolate Balls
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Double boiler – to melt the white chocolate
- Ladyfinger cookies – about 36 cookies
- Bourbon – use the good stuff!
- Pecans – toasted and chopped
- Butter
- White chocolate
- Icing sugar and/or sanding sugar (see my notes below)
How To Make Bourbon Balls with White chocolate
Also known as bourbon pecan snowballs, these tasty treats are an easy no-bake fix! For the full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe at the end of this page.
- Working in batches – if necessary – pulse the ladyfinger cookies in the food processor turning them into a combination of fine and coarse crumbs. You don’t want to pulverize them! You want crumbs, not powder.
- Sprinkle the bourbon over the ladyfinger crumbs and toss to coat.
- Add the finely chopped toasted pecans and melted butter and mix well.
- Melt the white chocolate in a double-boiler. See my notes below.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the ladyfinger mixture and stir it in well until there are no visible streaks of chocolate.
- Now the fun part – start rolling! Roll the mixture into about 1-inch balls, then roll them in either icing sugar or sanding sugar, or both! Serve and enjoy!
What is Sanding Sugar?
More coarse than regular granular sugar, sanding sugar also has a bit of extra sparkle to it which catches the light making the bourbon balls extra sparkly and festive.
What is a Double-Boiler and How To Use it?
Chocolate is notoriously finicky and particular. If you try to melt it with too high a heat, it can break and get clumpy and nasty. If you get water in it it can break and get clumpy and nasty. Good quality chocolate won’t melt well in the microwave, but by using a double-boiler, you can gently melt it with indirect heat. White chocolate – which is really just cocoa butter – is a bit easier to work with, but still melts best in a double-boiler.
A double-boiler is simply a pot with a bowl fitted over the top of it. The bowl should be large enough to fit over the top of the pot, much like a pot lid would.
By adding the chocolate to the bowl and bringing the pot of water to a boil, the chocolate will melt slowly and easily. Stir it well as it melts, and remove it from the heat as soon as it is melted.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t pulverize the ladyfinger cookies – you want crumbs, not powder
- Use your food processor to make short work of the ladyfinger crumbs and to chop the pecan
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet or on a pan in the oven, but don’t walk away! Nuts will burn easily.
- The dough is easier to roll if it is a bit chilled. If it gets too cold, let it soften on the counter for a while before trying to roll the balls.
- I like using a combination of icing sugar for a bourbon snowball cookie look, and sanding sugar for a more natural look.
- These bourbon balls are great on a cookie tray along with cranberry pistachio cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
You sure can. Freeze them before you dust them in the sugar for the best appearance.
Bourbon Balls with White Chocolate will last for quite a few days if stored in an air-tight container in the counter. If you need to keep them for more than 5 days, pop them into a zipper-top plastic bag and freeze them. Thaw what you need, roll them in sugar, and enjoy!
There are a million recipes for both kinds of boozy holiday balls recipes, with the main difference being the alcohol that you use. Bourbon balls use bourbon, and rum balls use rum. That’s the main difference!
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Step By Step Process
Bourbon Balls with White Chocolate
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups ladyfinger crumbs about 36 cookies
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 2 cups toasted and chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup softened butter
- 12 ounces white chocolate melted
- 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup sanding sugar and 1/4 cup icing sugar or 1/2 cup of one kind
Instructions
- Working in batches – if necessary – pulse the ladyfinger cookies in the food processor turning them into a combination of fine and coarse crumbs. You don't want to pulverize them! You want crumbs, not powder.
- Sprinkle the bourbon over the ladyfinger crumbs and toss to coat.
- Add the finely chopped toasted pecans and melted butter and mix well.
- Melt the white chocolate in a double-boiler until it is smooth and liquid.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the ladyfinger mixture and stir it in well until there are no visible streaks of chocolate.
- Now the fun part – start rolling! Roll the mixture into about 1-inch balls, then roll them in either icing sugar or sanding sugar, or both! Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t pulverize the ladyfinger cookies – you want crumbs, not powder
- Use your food processor to make short work of the ladyfinger crumbs and to chop the pecan
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet or on a pan in the oven, but don’t walk away! Nuts will burn easily.
- The dough is easier to roll if it is a bit chilled. If it gets too cold, let it soften on the counter for a while before trying to roll the balls.
- I like using a combination of icing sugar for a bourbon snowball cookie look, and sanding sugar for a more natural look.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
