Recipe: Miss LaLou's Bourbon Balls

MISS LALOU'S BOURBON BALLS
Source: Sweets: Soul Food Desserts and Memories by Patty Pinner and Sheri Giblin
Makes about 4 dozen balls

"My My's formal holiday dinners were a big hit. Nothing was more important to My My and Pop than sitting down to a large meal with family. Just before the big day (Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Day), My My would starch her fancy tablecloth and matching napkins until they were crisp enough to stand up on their own. She polished and shined her gold-plated flatware and gold-rimmed crystal drinking glasses until they sparkled. Pop put the extension in the dining room table, and even though the long table took up the entire room, nobody worried that it wouldn't be covered on the big day. The women in my family believed in having a'plenty. The day and eve before the event, folks-neighbors and church members as well as family-flocked to My My and Pop's house in droves, dropping off plates of side dishes and desserts.

My My was real funny, though, about deciding what food to eat. When folks stopped by and when she went to visit, she was ever watchful of people's hand-washing habits. My My accepted some dishes at the front door, skinnin' and grinnin' and talkin' about how well they were gonna go with the rest of the meal, then no sooner than the person delivering the goods stepped off the front porch she carried them straight out the back door and gave them to Pal, Pop's beagle. Pal would eat anybody's cooking; didn't matter to him whether they were clean or nasty. Miss LaLou had everybody's approval when it came to cleanliness. She was so clean that in the summer she gave her white poodle, Sugar, a soapy sponge bath in the front yard every day. Of course, the women in my family said that those baths that Miss LaLou gave Sugar were excuses for her to flirt with the men passing by. Our family sure looked forward to the holidays, and to Miss LaLou's bourbon balls."

3 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 to 1/2 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the wafers, pecans, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa powder. Mix the ingredients until they are well blended.

In a small bowl, combine the corn syrup and bourbon. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the bourbon mixture into the crushed wafer mixture. Blend the ingredients well with a fork. Let the mixture sit for 1 to 2 hours. Taste the mixture. If you like, you can add up to another 1/4 cup bourbon at this point, making sure the mixture is not too moist to form into balls. If the mixture is too dry to roll easily, add more corn syrup.

Shape tablespoonfuls of the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in confectioners' sugar to coat. Arrange the balls on waxed paper and allow to stand several hours to dry a little.

You may eat these right away, but they taste much better if you allow them to age in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.