Cassandra Hemenway
When I was growing up, I didn’t know anybody like me, part Jewish, part Yankee. I came from secular Ashkenazi Jews on my mother’s side and strict Seventh Day Adventists on my father’s (although his own spiritual practices leaned more toward paganism). Nowhere has this combination come together more seamlessly than in the making of the Christmas bourbon balls.
The recipe comes from my mother’s beat up copy of Mildred Grosberg Bellin’s “Jewish Cookbook” (Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1958). There’s so much bourbon in the balls that I wasn’t allowed to try them until I turned 16, and even then, my parents limited me to just a couple. Mom would make boring versions, missing the key ingredient, for the kids, and then, after I had my own posse of children, I did the same. (And, just like me, my kids snuck the boozy balls anyway.)
Unsurprisingly, these treats lose a lot without the punch of bourbon, and the cheaper the better. We’ve experimented over the years with rum, Kahlua, and fancier brands of whiskey, but they’re too smooth without the harshness of some Old Crow in the mix. Sometimes, when shopping for the recipe around this time of year, I’ll ask for “your cheapest bourbon” at the liquor store, which gets a few raised eyebrows, but that’s the flavor I’m after here.
This is one of those Jewish recipes I grew up with — like pot roast or my grandmother’s chicken soup — that turns out best without flourishes. All the creativity we poured into this simple, no-bake recipe ultimately taught the family that no matter how creative a cook you might be, don’t mess with the bourbon ball recipe, except for one thing. And that one thing, we believed, was what set our bourbon balls above the rest.
We swapped out the vanilla wafers called for in the original recipe for Nabisco Famous Chocolate wafers. That’s it. Now you know my family’s big secret. Our goy friends and the Yankee side of the family tried to make bourbon balls, and we would send them the original recipe without our change; and they could never make them as good as ours.
The only reason I’m sharing the secret with you now is because Nabisco rose to the top of my shit list when it discontinued its Famous Chocolate Wafers a couple of years ago. There are a lot of things in the world to despair about right now, and cookies shouldn’t even rate. But this one felt like a blow. Nabisco pretends to its customers that Oreo Thins can replace the chocolate wafers (they can’t, too sweet). Dewey’s Brownie Crisp Cookie Thins come close. But nothing can replace those Famous Chocolate Wafers (and don’t even get me started on refrigerator cake; if you know, you know).
And so, the bourbon balls suffer. You can still make an acceptable batch using Dewey’s cookies, but it will never be the same as my family’s best bourbon balls in the world.
Nonetheless, try out the recipe if you’re game.
Bourbon Balls
Recipe from the “Jewish Cookbook,” by Mildred Grosberg Bellin. “These make excellent party confections or gifts, but are definitely not for the children,” notes Bellin.
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ cup bourbon
- 2 ½ cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (HA! Go ahead, be a sucker, use vanilla instead of chocolate, see if I care! Or, substitute Dewey’s brownie crisp thins for a better flavor)
- ½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup finely chopped pecan or walnut meat
- Melt the chocolate bits over hot, not boiling, water. Stir in the syrup and bourbon.
- Crush the wafters until they are completely free from lumps, and mix with the sugar and nuts.
- Combine the chocolate and wafer mixtures, blend thoroughly, and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Form into 1-inch balls and roll in either granulated or sifted confectioners sugar. This makes about 50 balls (according to the cook book; I find it makes closer to 25 balls).
- Place them side by side in a covered tin for several days before using.
