Tequila Lime Balls: Bourbon Balls South of the Border

Tequila Lime Balls: Bourbon Balls South of the Border

By: Laura Westneat

I was 7 years old when my mom informed me that the main ingredient in my favorite candy was alcohol. Bourbon, to be specific. Not having done many illegal things at the age of 7, I was both concerned and shocked. How could my parents have been so careless to allow my brother and me to consume alcohol? Maybe it was common for children in Kentucky to have bourbon. It is, after all, the bourbon state. My mom quickly calmed my nerves by informing me that bourbon is indeed a critical part of a Kentuckian’s diet, but also that bourbon balls are not high in alcohol content. Relieved to know I had not been inadvertently becoming a candy alcoholic every Christmas I resumed my fervent intake of the candies.

My childhood love for bourbon balls has inspired me to take the traditional recipe and move it south of the border. I’ve created a tequila lime ball that delivers a twist on the classic Kentucky candy. This adaptation replaces the key ingredient of bourbon with tequila. Adding in some lime and salt gives you a margarita in candy form. The dynamic relationship of the sugar with the sharpness of the alcohol will attract both innocent sweet-toothed children and their not-so-innocent parents.

Warning: to avoid childhood crises like mine, you may want to inform children of the mild presence of alcohol in what will inevitably become a favorite household candy.

Makes about 5 dozen

Prep time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers, finely crushed

1 cup raw almonds, crushed

1 ¼ cup powdered sugar, divided

½ cup tequila

½ cup white chocolate morsels, melted

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 ½ tablespoons corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 orange, zested

Pinch of salt

Preparation

• In a large mixing bowl, crush the vanilla wafers and almonds using a pestle
• In a separate bowl, combine ¾ cup of the powdered sugar with the tequila, melted chocolate, lime juice, corn syrup, butter, and orange zest. Stir together until mixture is smooth
• Combine the liquid mixture with the wafer mixture and stir until well blended
• Shape into 1-inch balls
• Roll the balls in the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar
• Garnish with extra orange zest and a pinch of salt
• Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Store in refrigerator to maintain freshness.

*Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com bourbon ball recipe