Chocolate Cranberry Plum Bourbon Balls

“While visions of bourbon balls dance in their heads” … hey, don’t we adult folks deserve some holiday treats too? I think we do …

So these are my adult version of “sugarplums”.  Let’s revel in bourbon balls this year! 

( …  I also wanted to mention: these are healthi(er) holiday treats.  Made with dried fruit, nuts & dark chocolate, these bourbon balls are much better for your body than the typical empty sugar-and-fat-laden treats we usually eat at the holidays. But they taste so good, you won’t miss all that junk. )

Chocolate Cranberry Plum Bourbon Balls

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries (craisins)
• 1/2 cup dried plums
• 1/2 cup bourbon or whiskey
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup toasted old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs (or crushed chocolate cookie crumbs)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

For dusting/coating: powdered sugar and/or melted dark chocolate

---

Instructions

1. Put the cranberries and plums in a small bowl and pour the bourbon over them. Let the fruit “bathe” in the bourbon for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, till the dried fruit is softened.
2. Meanwhile, toast the pecans and oats till lightly browned. (I put them on a baking sheet and toast them in my toaster oven at 350 for about 5 minutes.) Using a food processor or handi chopper, crush the chocolate graham crackers, then the oats & pecans to a fine crumb. Mix them together with the cinnamon in a small mixing bowl.
3. Now take the bourbon-soaked fruit and using your handi chopper or food processor, process till the mixture forms a sort of paste. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, then stir together the oats & nuts with the fruit and the chocolate.
4. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or a silicone baking mat, then form the mixture into balls about 3/4 inch in diameter. Set in the fridge or freezer (or outside) to cool for a while.
5. To “finish” the bourbon balls, roll the cooled bourbon balls in powdered sugar OR (my favorite) dip in melted dark chocolate and set on waxed paper or a silicone baking mat until set. Once the chocolate has set, store these treats in the fridge in an airtight container.

---

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

This recipe was shared at Tuesday’s Table, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friends Friday, What to Do Weekends and The Weekend re-Treat.