Category Archives: bourbon balls

Lemon Bombs

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Not long after I started making bourbon balls on my own, I started trying out variations of the recipe to see whether I could come up with something different, but just as good. lemonbombsI tried flavors such as bourbon balls with maraschino cherries and peppermint schnapps balls. None of them really hit home with me or my beta tasters until about 10 years ago when I came up with a lemon variety.

Lemon Bombs were an immediate, raging success. People still like the bourbon balls, but they LOVE the Lemon Bombs. (I named them Lemon Bombs because the sweet-tart lemon flavor explodes in your mouth.)

I used the basic bourbon ball recipe, but I took out the cocoa and bourbon and added lemon juice. I also added a bit of lemon zest to the powdered sugar coating.

Ingredients

5 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 2 boxes)
1 cup finely ground almonds or almond flour (some stores carry it in their bulk item section)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons white corn syrup
1/2 cup rum (I use lemon-flavored rum)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately one lemon)
Zest of one lemon
Extra powdered sugar to roll the balls in

Directions

  1. Mix the crushed vanilla wafer, ground almonds, and powdered sugar together.
  2. Add the corn syrup, rum, and lemon juice to the mixture and blend well. (I put plastic gloves on and use my hands.) The mixture should be just wet enough to form into one big ball while blending it. If the mixture is too dry, add a touch more rum or lemon juice. If the mixture is wet, add more crushed vanilla wafers.
  3. * Form the mixture into a loaf and wrap it up in either aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
  4. * Refrigerate overnight or longer.
  5. In a container with a lid, add lemon zest to the some of the extra powdered sugar.
  6. * Cut 1/2 inch slices off the loaf and then cut each slice into bite-sized pieces (usually 4-6 pieces per slice, depending on how big you want your bites to be).
  7. In small batches, put the pieces into the zested powdered sugar, cover, and shake gently until the pieces are coated.
  8. Store in covered containers to keep them from drying out.

* Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon to scoop out the mixture and then use your hands to roll them into balls. However, the loaf method is a lot faster.