Kentucky bourbon balls are a rich, no-bake holiday candy made with bourbon-soaked pecans, butter, powdered sugar, and a chocolate shell. I learned to make these in culinary school, and they have become the one treat my coworkers request by name every single December. Plan for about 30 minutes of hands-on work, plus a minimum 2 hour bourbon soak (overnight gets you more flavor) and an hour of chilling before you dip.

Bourbon Balls Kentucky version with pecan garnish

This bourbon balls recipe is one of the food gifts my family makes every year for the holidays. This year I paired it with my favorite soft, salted caramels and added Biscoff butter cookies to the tray for the first time. I bring a batch to the office every December, and it is still the recipe people ask me for the most. One batch makes about 75 balls, but you can halve or double it depending on how many houses are on your gift list.

So delicious! A good strong bourbon flavor, but not overwhelming. These are way better than any store-bought ones I have had.

★★★★★ ~ Leigh M

Ingredients needed for old fashioned bourbon pecan balls:

ingredients for Bourbon Balls on a wooden surface with text overlays

Ingredient notes:

Pecans - chopped and toasted before they ever touch the bourbon. Toasting first gives you a deeper, nuttier flavor than soaking raw nuts would; save a handful of halves for the garnish.
Bourbon - use one you would actually drink. Since this candy is never cooked, a rough bourbon comes through in the finished ball; I reach for Maker's Mark or Woodford Reserve most often.
Powdered sugar - also known as 10x sugar or confectioners sugar. It dissolves smoothly into the butter with no grit, which plain granulated sugar cannot do here.
Butter - I use salted butter on purpose; the salt keeps the candy from tasting flat against all that powdered sugar.
Chocolate - chocolate chips work fine for coating, but any good melting or dipping chocolate will do the job.

Recipe Card?

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Garnishes

bunch of bourbon balls on a piece of parchment

Pecan half - a broken piece works just as well if you are out of whole halves.
Flake salt - optional, but salt is the natural complement to chocolate.
Decorative chocolate transfer sheets - rest the dipped balls on the sheet while the chocolate is still soft; once it sets, the pattern transfers to the bottom of the ball.
Cocoa powder - a dusting of dark cocoa powder makes for a simple, no-fuss topping.

Substitutions

A few of you ask about swapping ingredients here, so here is what actually changes when you do.

Pecans → walnuts: walnuts carry more bitterness than pecans, so the finished ball tastes a touch sharper and less sweet. The texture holds up the same since both nuts chop and bind the same way. Use this swap if pecans are not available, but pecans are the better match for the sweetness in this recipe.
Bourbon → dark rum: rum brings a lighter, more caramel-forward sweetness in place of bourbon's oak and vanilla notes. The candy loses its classic Kentucky character but still works as a no-bake treat. I would only make this swap if you are avoiding bourbon specifically, not as an upgrade.
Chocolate chips → white chocolate: white chocolate coats the same way but tastes noticeably sweeter, and you lose the bitter contrast that dark or semisweet chocolate gives against the bourbon. I would only recommend this for a lighter-looking holiday tray, not for flavor.

How to make bourbon balls

Pecans being toasted in a metal skillet with visible salt or seasoning on their surface, perfectly capturing the rich aroma and golden color that comes from toasting pecans.

Toast the pecans

Chop 1 cup of pecans and toast them in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly so they do not scorch. You want them fragrant and a shade darker before they ever meet the bourbon; toasting first gives you a deeper, nuttier flavor than soaking raw nuts would.

A white bowl filled with chopped pecans soaking in water, perfect for making bourbon balls, is placed on a rustic wooden surface.

Soak the pecans in bourbon

Combine the toasted pecans with 1 cup of bourbon and let them sit for a minimum of 2 hours; overnight is better if you have the time. Two hours gets decent flavor; overnight pulls the bourbon all the way through the nut instead of just coating the surface.

Mixer bowl with thick, pale cookie dough for bourbon balls and a paddle attachment, viewed from above on a rustic wooden surface.

Cream the butter and sugar

Beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl once halfway through.

A stand mixer bowl with flour, chopped pecans, and a white flat beater attachment, all set on a rustic wooden surface-perfect for preparing bourbon balls or other delicious treats.

Add the soaked pecans

Pour in the pecans along with any bourbon left in the bowl; that liquid carries most of the flavor, so do not drain it off.

A hand holds a small piece of raw biscuit dough with visible specks, reminiscent of the texture found in homemade bourbon balls, with blurred kitchen items in the background.

Mix and check the texture

Mix on low until the dough comes together evenly. It should look matte and hold together when squeezed; if it feels dry and crumbly, add a splash more bourbon, and if it feels too soft and sticky, add a spoonful more powdered sugar.

A baking sheet lined with evenly spaced unbaked coconut macaroons and a few classic bourbon balls rests on a rustic wooden surface.

Portion the dough

Using a medium scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; each portion should hold its shape without flattening.

A baking sheet with rows of unbaked cookie dough balls, each containing visible small chocolate chips and resembling classic bourbon balls, placed on a wooden surface.

Chill, then roll

Using a medium scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; each portion should hold its shape without flattening.

Chill again

Return the rolled balls to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes before dipping. This second chill keeps the dough from softening too fast once it hits the warm melted chocolate.

Melt the chocolate

Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler, stirring often and watching the heat closely; chocolate scorches fast and there is no saving it once it seizes.

A baking tray lined with parchment holds rows of round, chocolate-coated bourbon balls, each topped with a pecan piece.

Dip and garnish

Dip each ball fully into the melted chocolate, tap off the excess, and set it on parchment paper or a chocolate transfer sheet. Garnish with a piece of pecan and a pinch of flake salt while the chocolate is still soft enough for the garnish to stick.

Chocolate-covered truffles topped with pecan pieces, reminiscent of classic bourbon balls, are arranged on a sheet of brown parchment paper on a wooden surface.

Chill until set

Return the dipped balls to the refrigerator until the chocolate is fully set and no longer soft to the touch, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Did you make this recipe?

Do you have feedback that would be helpful to others? If so can help this small business owner by leaving a rating and a review in the comments section? Thank you for being part of the Savoring The Good Community. ~ Sarah

How to store bourbon balls

Store the finished Kentucky bourbon balls recipes in an air-tight container. I use the Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers because they truly are air-tight.

I also store them in the refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor profile.

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Crisco Pie Crust

Sarah's Culinary Insight

A few things I have learned while making these bourbob balls that aren't obvious from the steps alone.

The soak time changes texture more than flavor. Two hours gives you pecans with a little bite still left in them; overnight softens them all the way through and pulls in more bourbon flavor. If you like a bourbon ball with some crunch, stop at 2 hours. If you want it softer and more bourbon-forward, let it go overnight.
Do not skip the chill. I've tried rushing this and the dough turns messy in your hands instead of holding a clean round shape. The chill lets the outside firm up into a slight crust while you're rolling, and that crust is what keeps the balls holding together through two rounds of handling, once to roll, once to dip. Skip it and you're fighting soft, sticky dough the whole way through.
Give yourself the time this recipe needs, not just the ingredients. Every soak and chill step has a job, and rushing any of them costs you in the end. I still block out real time for the dipping stage specifically, because I am a messy chocolate dipper and cleanup takes longer than the dipping itself. Set aside an afternoon rather than an hour and you will enjoy the process more.

Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:

While I try to share all the information you need to make this recipe in your home with restaurant-quality results, there still may be a question or two. Or these are questions I have received from the community about this recipe. I do my best to answer them as clearly as I can. I hope this helps.

What is the best bourbon to use for bourbon balls?

This is the question I get asked the most, and the real answer is that it depends on what you like to drink. I love both Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve, but I don't reach for my nicer bottle here. Woodford Reserve is what I pour for a cocktail I'm actually going to taste sip by sip; for a candy where the bourbon gets mixed with a pound of butter and sugar, I go with something more economical. You're not going to notice the difference between a $25 bottle and a $45 bottle once it's soaked into a pecan and coated in chocolate, so save the good stuff for your glass.

Can you get drunk on bourbon balls?

It would take a lot of bourbon balls to get a grown adult drunk. The ratio of alcohol to other ingredients will not get you intoxicated; you would likely feel sick to your stomach from the sugar before you felt any effect from the alcohol.

Is the alcohol cooked out of bourbon balls?

No. This is a no-bake recipe, so there is no heat involved and the alcohol is not cooked out of the balls. Keep that in mind if you are serving these where children or anyone avoiding alcohol will be eating.

How many bourbon balls does this recipe make?

This recipe makes about 75 bourbon balls, so it is built for a crowd or for splitting between several gift trays. Halve the recipe if you only need a couple dozen.

Does the bourbon soak time actually matter?

Yes. A 2 hour soak gets you real bourbon flavor, but soaking the pecans overnight pulls the bourbon further into the nut instead of just coating the outside, so the flavor is more consistent in every bite.

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

Sarah Mock

5 from 9 votes

This bourbon balls recipe is the Kentucky bourbon balls I learned to make in culinary school.

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5 5

75 Balls

Ingredients

▢ 1 Cup (109 g) chopped pecans
▢ 1 Cup (236 ⅗ ml) bourbon
▢ ¾ Cup (170 ¼ g) Butter
▢ 3 Pounds (1 ⅓ kg) Powdered Sugar
▢ 32 oz (907 ⅕ g) chocolate chips
▢ Pecan Halves for garnish
▢ flake salt for garnish, optional

Instructions

Chop 1 cup of pecans and toast them in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly so they do not scorch.
1 Cup (109 g) chopped pecans
Combine the toasted pecans with 1 cup of bourbon and let them sit for a minimum of 2 hours; overnight is better if you have the time.
1 Cup (236 ⅗ ml) bourbon
Beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl once halfway through.
¾ Cup (170 ¼ g) Butter, 3 Pounds (1 ⅓ kg) Powdered Sugar
Pour in the pecans along with any bourbon left in the bowl

The soak changes texture more than flavor. Stick to 2 hours for pecans with some bite left; go overnight for a softer, more bourbon-forward result.

Mix on low until the dough comes together evenly. It should look matte and hold together when squeezed;
Using a medium scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then roll each portion between your palms into a smooth, crack-free ball.

Don't skip this chill. Skip it and you'll be working with sticky dough instead of a clean round shape.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Return the rolled balls to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes before dipping.
Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler, stirring often and watching the heat closely
32 oz (907 ⅕ g) chocolate chips

Keep the heat low and stir often. Chocolate scorches fast over a double boiler, and there's no saving it once it seizes.

Dip each ball fully into the melted chocolate, tap off the excess, and set it on parchment paper or a chocolate transfer sheet.
Return the dipped balls to the refrigerator until the chocolate is fully set and no longer soft to the touch,

Nutrition

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let the balls sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving so the chocolate shell and filling both soften slightly for the best texture.

Dessert

American

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!

Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 17 years, Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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