ginger pecan chocolate dipped bourbon balls

Making and gifting homemade bourbon balls for my family and friends during the Christmas 🎄 holidays is a tradition that I will happily keep alive and well.  My extra fancy recipe for bourbon balls is from Southern Living, as it should be.  My mother always made bourbon balls and we- kids, always called them yucky, as we should have- as bourbon is not a child friendly candy flavor, like peanut butter.  However, times pass and here we are loving bourbon balls, especially the following recipe gently adapted from Southern Living.  The chopped crystallized ginger both inside, mixed with the pecans and gingersnaps, and outside sprinkled on the chocolate balls tops take the flavors in these candy balls over the top, I don't know I may have loved these even as a child.  I would have at least eaten the chocolate ginger coating off the balls to the horror of the bourbon loving adults.

Ingredients and Recipe for Ginger Pecan Chopped Dipped Bourbon Balls
Makes 6 & 1/2 dozen candies

2 & 1/2 cups coarsely ground gingersnaps, 10 ounce package of gingersnaps- ground in food processor

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 & 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 & 1/3 cups pecans

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon, I used Angels Envy this year

8 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking bars

3 -10 ounce packages Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger, for sprinkling on top of the balls

Preheat the oven to 35F

Spread the pecans on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until lightly toasted.

Cool the pecans and chop in small pieces, set aside.

In a large bowl combine the gingersnap crumbs, sugar, finely chopped crystallized ginger, ground ginger, and salt, stir together until well combined.  Add the chopped pecans to the mixture.

In a medium bowl or large Pyrex measuring cup, stir together the cream, corn syrup and bourbon, set aside.

Break the chocolate bars into pieces and melt in a glass or aluminum bowl over gently simmering water, stir as needed for about 3-4 minutes or until shiny and fluid.

Stir the melted chocolate into the gingersnap crumb mixture, quickly stir in the cream mixture until evenly incorporated into the melted chocolate and gingersnap crumb mixture.  Cover and chill the mixture for one hour.

Scoop the chilled gingersnap mixture using a small teaspoon size ice cream scoop, roll into 1" balls.

Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil and freeze for about 2 hours, until frozen solid.

Melt the chocolate melting wafers in a bowl over gently simmering water or according to package directions.

Remove the frozen balls from the freezer.

Drop a few bourbon balls at a time into the melted chocolate and using two forks lift them out and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, quickly sprinkle the warm chocolate with chopped crystallized ginger.

Chill the bourbon balls in the refrigerator for about one hour.

Place the bourbon balls in containers for gifting, I use clear small size corsage bags tied with ribbon, they will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Note:  If the melted chocolate melting wafers cool off too much, place back over the warm water and stir until fluid again.