Bourbon + Pecan Bon Bons

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. I am sure you’ll agree that when you put these earthly pleasures in your mouth, you’ll be tempted to sell your soul like Faust. 

Each bite explodes with bourbon-spiked pecan pie filling slathered with chocolate. Sweet, sweet magic in your mouth. 

 And because they are so diminutive, they are practically guilt-free one-bite treats.

Many of you know my mother’s family is Greek. What you may not know is my papou made chocolate confections. At any given time, there were vats upon vats of chocolate melting on the stove in his basement-turned chocolate factory workshop.

Let that sink in. 

Imagine an entire basement smelling like chocolate.  It would drive us mad!

I remember thinking he was some sort of magician. He MADE chocolate, for goodness sake. And for Easter he shaped it into bunnies and baskets and eggs. As a child I was convinced this is where the Easter bunny got his loot.

In all his wisdom, he taught us to appreciate chocolate–that is was not simply candy. It was a confection, not to be absentmindedly gobbled (even though that’s what we did).

So try this technique for savoring (instead of gobbling) these confections: Let the truffle melt slowly in your mouth. As it melts, breathe retro-nasally (in through your mouth and out through the nose) to get the effect of the bourbon. This will stimulate the taste buds behind your nose. Trust me.

P. S. These treats are tasty but not so pretty because I don’t temper my chocolate. (Don’t tell my papou.) Tempering gives chocolate its snap and shine. That’s where my using the coconut oil comes in.

P. P. S. I can’t stop eating these boozy little balls. Damn!

Enjoy!

XXOO AB

If you make these delightfully (almost guiltless) Bourbon + Pecan Bon Bons, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment below, tag #nakedepicurean on Instagram, and Pin this recipe to your board so we can celebrate together!

Bourbon + Pecan Bon Bons (for 36-ish bon bons)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ½  cups pecans, lightly toasted (reserve ½ cup for garnish)
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 8 whole graham crackers)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoons dark Karo syrup
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 14 ounces dark chocolate
• 4 Tablespoons butter (half stick)
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place graham crackers and 2 cups of pecans in a food processor and pulse until almost fine.
2. In a medium glass bowl, stir together brown sugar, salt, Karo syrup, bourbon, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of butter until well combined. Place in microwave for 30 seconds; stir. Place in microwave for 30 seconds more. This dissolves the sugar and reduces potential grittiness. 
3. Add pecan-cracker mix to bowl and incorporate well. 
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out portions of mixture with a spoon or melon baller and roll into walnut-sized balls. Place on cookie sheet. (Wet your hands for rolling.)
5. Freeze for 2 hours.
6. Right before removing the bon bons from freezer, melt your chocolate. Doing it for 10 second increments in the microwave will do the job but will not render a surface as smooth as tempering. (I added the 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to my chocolate before melting.)
7. Dip the frozen balls into the melted chocolate, then place onto prepared baking sheet. Let sit for 15 minutes or until firm.