I think we all know the phrase, “No man shall live on bread alone.”
It was probably written by someone who’s never tasted a perfect croissant. Furthermore, I believe there may be a whole slew of teenage boys out there who would fervently disagree.
But what if you had to choose just one thing? One thing to carry you through from one day to the next. Ad infinitum. What would it be?
Cheese?
Fillet mignon?
Champagne?
I couldn’t do it. I could not choose one.
But I could choose TWO.
English: Whisky Bar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Chocolate and whisky. Absolute musts for a fine and fulfilling life.
Recognizing that we’re in the thick of the holidays and that I’ve been up to my earballs in all things flour, butter and sugar related, I decided to put my less-than-stellar skills to the test in the kitchen to prove three things.
1.) Whisky and chocolate belong together.
2.) Everyone—especially when forced to—will eventually agree with you.
3.) Sheep cannot be convinced that whisky and chocolate belong together.
That said, the results of my efforts are being shared with (read thrust into the hands of) everyone I love, given as holiday gifts, because nothing says, Happy Saturnalia! like an overdose of things meant to be consumed in moderation.
And just so I’m not caught on a technicality for the ‘surviving on one thing alone’ challenge, I shall marry my two must-haves together. (Okay, the other technicality might be that there are a few more than just two ingredients, but once all together, it’s really JUST ONE THING.)
Single Malted Milk Chocolate Balls
Ingredients for balls
1 cup high quality chocolate (milk or dark is fine)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons malted milk powder
4 tablespoons single malt whisky
3 oz. chocolate wafer cookies
Rolling powder
2 teaspoons malted milk powder
2 teaspoons ground chocolate or dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons espresso powder
Cookin’
Melt chocolate over a double boiler or heat gently until just melted in a microwave. Add malted milk powder and stir to combine. Pour whisky over mixture one tablespoon at a time, stirring to incorporate after each. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the wafer cookies into powdery crumbs and stir into chocolate mixture.
In a small bowl, combine the last three ingredients and set beside your chocolate mixture and a cookie sheet lined with a strip of waxed paper.
With clean hands, roll a truffle-sized dollop of the chocolate mixture between your palms and then place in the powder bowl, rolling it around with a spoon to coat the sphere evenly. Remove and place on the cookie sheet.
Once you’ve finished rolling out all the dough, place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden, then pop into a pretty wax paper lined tin and gift away to your favorite adults.
As an extra added bonus, serve with a warming dram.
~Slainte!
Don’t forget to check out what I blethered on about this week on the main post page (here) and find out what’s cookin’ in the scullery too (here)!
Shelley Sackier 
My hubby is a whiskey fan… Me, not so much, but I sure do enjoy chocolate!! This may be a way for me to eeeease into the whisky world. This recipe has me drooling!
I shall warn you now about the dangers of licking the monitor. 🙂
Too late.
These harken me back to the rum balls of Christmas yore. I looked forward to those little sugar bombs all freakin’ year.
The above recipe looks like exactly the kind of thing I would like…to watch somebody else make. There just seems to be so much work. I’m getting tired just reading about it, I may need a whiskey ball to rejuvenate. Hey, I could be your Quality Control: it’s like royal taster, we could be saving lives, here.
For a fast fix, try the Bourbon Fudge I invented. I make it with Pendleton Whiskey because I like to shop local. A Pendleton rep just happened to be at my liquor store when I was procuring, um, supplies and she was so impressed with the recipe, she gave me two shot glasses on the spot and tried to ply me with free spirits. Sadly, I had to abstain as I was driving home, already late for my lasagna. Never keep a lasagna waiting.
Bourbon (or Whiskey) Fudge
2 x 10 ounce bags of Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C. sweet, smooth bourbon or whiskey
2 C. chopped walnut pieces
Melt the chips in a nonstick pan over very low heat, stirring occasionally.
When the chips are half-melted, add the milk and blend completely, then the liquor.
When the chocolate mass has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, mix in the walnuts.
Spread into a foil-lined pan–9 x 13 inch pan for small pieces, 8 x 8 inch pan for large hunks. (Who doesn’t love a large hunk? Rawr.)
Refrigerate for three hours until completely set. (This is the hardest part. Tick, tock.)
Lift fudge out of pan by pulling up on foil edges, remove foil, and cut into squares.
Eat fudge until you can’t remember your name.
This makes a fantastic bribe…er…gift on holidays and special occasions, if there’s any left, that is. You can omit the nuts and substitute the whiskey with about a third cup of other liqueurs like Chambord (awesome date night) and Peppermint Schnapps (Merry Freakin’ Christmas!) and dark rum (Captain Jack Sparrow, to my friends).
Nom, nom, nom.
I think I must be buried with your recipe.
And what do you know–I just happen to have a bottle of Pendleton Whiskey. What luck!
Thanks for the brilliant addition to the world of whisky and the women who know how to manhandle a dram or two. 😛
Don’t forgot how to properly pour alcohol for baking: some for the recipe, some for the cook, some for the recipe, some for the cook. And repeat.
Manhandling drams. It just sounds all wrong in a really good way.
nom nom?? no: oooom! vroooom !
Hooray! You just made my “must” list for holiday baking! I am tempted by the Pendleton fudge as well. I’m a sucker for any dessert involving alcohol.
So glad you might give this one a try, Linnet, although a word of warning about some of those UK fudges (if package purchased): they can be wholly disappointing. But if you’re making the fudges by hand, they almost certainly are massive winners.
I seriously want to send a thank you note to the person who invented the rum ball. God, they were forward thinking.
A friend of mine introduced me to the rum ball. She is now my best friend.
Put her in your will.
one ‘food’ 4-ever: beer, and/or whiskey. two foods? hmmm. thanx: YOOVE done my thinkin’ ‘n XXXplanayshun of why for me! malted milk bawls itt izz !
Oh, good heavens, Jay, the power of suggestion makes me spineless. You now have me hunting around my pantry for malted milk balls. Or bawls. Either way, I’ve really got a hankerin’ for one now. *sigh*