Contributed by: Laura Reichhardt
This recipe comes from Carol Reichhardt, my mother’s mother. She was smart and she was concerted.
Carol Reichhardt along with her handwritten recipe card. Photos courtesy Laura Reichhardt.
She started a women’s group to research relevant topics in her younger years, fostering a community of inquiry amongst friends. We only learned the extent of her volunteerism when nearly the whole town came to her funeral service. She, a strong German woman, made sure I knew how to knit, bake, pick fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, or glean them from neighbors’ yards (with permission, of course!). This is what she did; how she did it was quite spirited. She laughed a lot. She was up for hijinks, practical jokes, and a good card game. She was great at bringing people together. Her Christmas baking had over 30 varieties of cookies and bars. These that I share with you are boozy, so keep them to grown-up hands for eating, though making them is fun for the whole family. And as you can imagine (or when you make them—taste and smell), they are a cookie that will start or end a great party.
Our family motto, which she selected and is now carved onto our family table, is “He is my friend who eats at my table.” With that, I offer you this recipe and hope to one day enjoy them together.
Bourbon Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (Nilla Wafers)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons white corn syrup (Karo)
- ¼ cup rum or bourbon
Directions
Mix dry ingredients. Add combined syrups and booze. Form into 1 inch to 1.5 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
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