MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN BALLS

1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers (we used Nabisco Nilla Wafers)

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅔ cup finely chopped walnuts

⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

⅔ cup bourbon

Firewater

In small batches, place the vanilla wafers in the bowl of a food processor (or in a blender) and grind for 45 seconds, or until finely ground. You should have about 6 cups. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl and set it aside. Place the wafer crumbs, walnuts, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and bourbon in a large bowl. Use a large spoon or your hands to mix them until all of the bourbon is absorbed.

Use a small melon ball scoop or your hands (see Sugar Mommas Note) to scoop the mixture. Roll it between the palms of your hands to form a ball about the diameter of a quarter. Then roll the ball in the granulated sugar, coating it thoroughly. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Layer the balls between pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. About 30 minutes before serving, remove the bourbon balls from the refrigerator and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

SUGAR MOMMAS TIPS

sugar mommas note: If using your hands, dip them in confectioners’ sugar before you dig into the mound to form balls to prevent sticking.

sass it up: Perry suggests making the balls with 101-proof Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, or Jack Daniel’s.

modern variation: Package your Bourbon Balls in a festive tin lined with a padded bottom, waxed paper, or food-safe decorative parchment paper (Wilton sells holiday-themed sheets). Gently place the balls on the paper and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Repeat layering the balls with paper and dusting with sugar. Apply a festive label, ribbon, or homemade holiday card.

cannon family confections

Submitted by Philip Cannon
From his mother Josephine Emilie Cannon’s recipes, New Orleans, Louisiana

Josephine Cannon was quite the character. Raised in the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans, she distinguished herself early on by being the first (perhaps only) boarding student ever to break out of the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans. Mrs. Cannon loved good food—especially sweets—and she could cook! One of the families’ most cherished memories is of Josephine, at age 95, in a home that cared for Alzheimer’s patients, eating large raw oysters in spicy red sauce with saltines and drinking ice-cold beer.

Josephine Emilie Cannon is indelibly etched in our minds. She must have been a Sugar Momma who passed on the sugar gene to her son Philip and his daughter Sarah. Now we can channel Josephine’s adventurous spirit through her creative confections, Rum Balls and Floating Islands.

• Rum Balls
• Floating Islands
• Chocolate Hydrogen Bombs

Rum Balls

MAKES 3 TO 4 DOZEN BALLS

1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers (we used Nabisco Nilla Wafers)

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus ½ cup more for rolling and dusting

1½ cups finely chopped pecans

1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon rum (4.5 ounces)

Mardi Gras beads

In small batches, place the vanilla wafers in the bowl of a food processor (or in a blender) and grind for 45 seconds, or until finely ground. Place ½ cup of the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the wafer crumbs, remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, the pecans, cocoa powder, corn syrup, vanilla, and rum in a large bowl. Use a large spoon or your hands to mix all the ingredients until all of the rum is absorbed.

Use a small melon ball scoop or a teaspoon to scoop the mixture. Roll it between the palms of your hands to form a ball about the diameter of a quarter. Then roll the ball in the confectioners’ sugar, coating it thoroughly. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Layer the balls between waxed paper in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. About 30 minutes before serving, remove the container from refrigerator and dust the rum balls with the remaining confectioners’ sugar.

Floating Islands

SERVES 8

Philip Cannon clearly remembers having these as a child, particularly when staying home from school. One of the benefits of being very sick was that little Philip could con Mother Cannon into making them. He recalls fluffy meringue clumps floating in pale yellow custard that was as runny as a thick cream soup and was sweeter than even most children could stand.

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1¼ cups granulated sugar (divided)

4 large eggs, separated

6 cups (1½ quarts) cold whole milk, divided

⅛ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Doctor’s note

To make the custard sauce: Whisk together the flour and 1 cup of the sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the flour mixture to the beaten egg yolks and blend until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Pour 4 cups of the milk into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the egg yolk mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the salt. Stir constantly, scraping down the sides of pot, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the mixture coats the back of the wooden spoon. The consistency will be similar to that of a cream soup. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set the custard sauce aside to cool.

To make the meringue islands: Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until they form soft peaks. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff, about 1 minute. Be careful not to overwork the eggs, as they will dry out.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 2 cups milk over medium-low heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pot. Using two large spoons, scoop and shape some of the egg white mixture into a large oval mound bigger than an egg. Drop the heaping spoonful of egg white into the milk. Repeat with 2 or 3 more mounds (do not crowd them in the saucepan) and cook for about 4 minutes each, flipping the mounds after 2 minutes. Carefully remove the meringue islands and place them on paper towels while you cook the remaining islands. You want 16 islands total.

SUGAR MOMMAS TIP

sass it up: Use cinnamon in lieu of nutmeg. Add a sprig of mint on top of the islands for color.