Bourbon and Southern Comfort Balls {aka Schweddy Balls}

I love when two seemingly unrelated experiences collide - you're left with something both comfortable and traditional while at the same time totally unexpected.

First and foremost, I remember making whiskey balls with my mom when I was little. It's such an easy recipe that I could pretty much make them myself, and I was always allowed to have one ball before we put them away to "cure."  They tasted a lot like the whiskey-soaked cherries from my parents' Manhattan's, and I loved them - if not the taste, then the feeling that I was being let in on some grown up secret.

On the other hand, there's SNL's Schweddy Balls skit. We knew we were true regulars at Family Pizza in Springfield when we mentioned schweddy balls to Dawn, our favorite waitress, and she rolled with it. It's become a long-standing joke amongst us and the cause of many laughs since then.

So, we had the thought this year to make some schweddy balls of our own. I found a recipe that tastes just like I remember - though we made ours with bourbon and, in an ode to Gramp, Southern Comfort. We gave two bags (ball sacks, of course) to Dawn just before Christmas. It was awesome to see her reactions: surprise, hilarity, and real friendship.

Cheers!

Ingredients:

• 1 C semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 3 tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/2 C bourbon OR Southern Comfort (or rum)
• 2 1/2 C crushed vanilla wafers
• 1/3 C confectioners sugar AND/OR unsweetened cocoa

Method:

1. Place chocolate chips into a microwave-safe medium bowl. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and then continue to heat at 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Blend in alcohol of choice. Add crushed vanilla wafers. Mix until evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
2. Roll the chilled chocolate mixture into bite-size balls. Roll balls in confectioners sugar, unsweetened cocoa, or a mixture of both. Store in a covered container for a week before serving to blend the flavors.

Source: All Recipes