Pittsburgh Metro Realty Check

“Joe” listed his beautiful Kittanning house with me just last month. When he told me about the great parties he had there for his friends, I asked him whether he did any cooking for the parties. (I just had to ask, since I love to cook!)

“What’re you kidding?” he said. “I’m a guy! I’m single! Cooking for me is throwing a nacho in the micro!” Then he winked. “But I make this candy, Booze Balls, for all my parties.”

“Booze Balls? What in the world are Booze Balls?” I asked. “Oh man,” he chuckled. “They’re so awesomely awesome.”

“Joe,” I said. “What the heck are they and how do you make them?” But Joe said, “No way I’m gonna give up my secret recipe. You know how many people’ve asked?”

“Yes, but none of those people will make good on their promise to sell your house.” I smiled. He smiled.

So here’s that swingin’ bachelor’s recipe for Booze Balls. And guess what? It only takes 10 minutes. No cookin’, no fussin’, no kiddin’.

JOE’S BOOZE BALLS

1 package vanilla wafers (12 ounces), finely crushed
3 ½ ounces coconut flakes (about 1 1/3 cup)
¼ cup finely chopped nuts
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
¼ cup rum*
Powdered sugar*

Before opening the bag of vanilla wafers, smoosh them up a little, then open the bag and dump the contents into a food processor or blender. Add the coconut flakes and nuts and put the blender/food processor on pulse. Then switch to the high setting until everything’s mixed and crushed finely.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and the rum; mix everything well. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Then shape into 1-inch balls and roll the balls in the powdered sugar. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

*Joe’s notes:
<>About the rum: I’ve used different rums and even brandy, so feel free to experiment. Bailey’s Irish Cream doesn’t have a very strong taste, so it kind of gets lost in the condensed milk. Carolan’s is a little harsher, but it stands up well.
<>One of these days, I’ll get around to trying a little cocoa powder mixed in with the powdered sugar.

KB’s note: Kids, this is an Adults-Only recipe! No joke.