Bourbon Balls Recipe with Woodford Reserve: No Bake DIY Holiday Gifts (2024)

Make this easy gluten free, no bake bourbon balls recipe with Woodford Reserve (or rum if you prefer!) for the ultimate last minute DIY holiday gifts!

This no bake bourbon balls recipe with Woodford Reserve allows you to create the ultimate no bake last minute DIY holiday gifts. These easy bourbon balls not only taste delicious, they’re also gluten free. So everyone can enjoy the delectable taste of chocolate and bourbon this holiday season. A delightful no bake dessert for Christmas, these bourbon balls can also be made with rum or customized with your favorite ingredients whether it be coconut or dried raspberries for a flavorful holiday treat!

How to Make No Bake Bourbon Balls

Whether you need a last minute gift to bring to a holiday party or a super last minute gift on Christmas Eve, these homemade bourbon balls are the perfect choice! Not only is this recipe for bourbon balls super easy to make, there’s also no baking required. Basically that means they are pretty fool proof. Even if you’re a slacker in the kitchen like I am. While this recipe for bourbon balls calls for nuts, you can easily omit them from the recipe if you have nut allergies.

Ingredients for Making Gluten Free Bourbon Balls

This easy bourbon balls recipe can be made with either vanilla wafers or ginger snaps. For my first batch of homemade bourbon balls, I used gluten-free Mi-Del’s Ginger Snaps. They crush really easily which makes them worth the extra $1.50 even if you don’t need gluten free bourbon balls. However, one bag will only make you one batch. For my second batch I used regular grocery store brand gingersnaps and had a heck of a time crushing them. I actually took a hammer to the outside of the bag at 9am the first year I made these. However I still ended up with some whole cookies left in the bag and lots of large chunks.

I also used baking nuts for my recipe for bourbon balls. They were significantly cheaper than buying whole nuts from the nut aisle, especially as I wasn’t going to use an entire can. Plus it was the only way I could find them unsalted at the time. Finally, I recommend that choose your bourbon wisely. The better the booze, well, the better the ball! I specifically used Woodford Reserve for my recipe.

If you aren’t a huge fan of bourbon, you can simply swap out the bourbon with your favorite rum. These would actually be amazing with a spiced rum or a flavored rum that accents the ingredients that go into the recipe.

Easy Bourbon Balls Recipe with Woodford Reserve

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups ginger snap cookies, crushed
1/2 Cup pecan baking chips, optional
1/2 Cup confectioners sugar
1/4 Cup Woodford Reserve (or rum of choice)
2 Tablespoons baking cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons raw local honey
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Shredded coconut, chopped for dusting

Instructions:

Crush the ginger snap cookies as much as possible then combine in a large bowl with the other ingredients. Mix well with a spatula then place in freezer to chill for about an hour.

Once your bourbon balls have chilled, roll into about 3/4″ balls and then roll in shredded coconut to coat thoroughly. (Alternately you can use confectioner’s sugar or even dried raspberries, as pictured, instead.) Keep at it until all dough has been used.

Easy Packaging Idea for Gifting Your Bourbon Balls

For easy DIY holiday gifts, I placed about 8 balls each in a zipper sandwich bags. I then place the balls inside glassine bags for presentation and labeled them with holiday stickers. You can even add a strip of washi tape to each of your gifts with the “eat by” date.

Once made, cover and refrigerate your bourbon balls. They will keep for a week in the refrigerator so don’t make these too far ahead. Otherwise you’ll have to freeze them.

You’ll also want to keep them refrigerated when you’re not binging on them during yet another seasonal rerun of A Christmas Story.

Yield: About 42 bourbon balls