Skrewball Whiskey Balls are where creamy peanut butter and rich chocolate meet the bold notes of Skrewball Whiskey. A rich and creamy peanut butter cheesecake with bourbon burn.
Peanut Butter Whisky Balls
Our easy peanut butter Whiskey Balls recipe creates the best boozy bites of cheesecake spiked with a splash of Skrewball Whiskey. It’s a simple 4 ingredient mixture that’s rolled, chilled, coated, and ready to consume in just over an hour.
While rum balls may be the classic Christmas holiday treat, these peanut butter balls are even better because they merge the flavors of my favorite Reese’s peanut butter cup candy with my peanut butter truffles but are made with a bit of booze, like my Baileys cheesecake balls, and Fireball whiskey balls.
Whiskey balls let you taste your cocktail and cheesecake truffle all in one bite, but they’re strictly for adults only because none of the alcohol is baked off.
Why We Love Skrewball Whiskey Truffles
- Quick and easy to make in 20 minutes.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Moist and chewy in the middle with a hard candy coating makes these truffles easy to eat without making a mess.
- Peanut butter whiskey dessert recipes make it fun to chew your booze.
- Single-serving snacks are pre-portioned, portable, and fun to pop in your mouth.
- Perfect for holiday parties, seasonal celebrations, birthdays, or placing on dessert platters.
Skrewball Whisky Balls Ingredients
- Shortbread cookies: I used Lorna Doone brand but feel free to use your favorite.
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
- Skrewball peanut butter whiskey: Feel free to use your favorite brand of peanut butter bourbon.
- Milk chocolate melting discs: I used Ghirardelli brand but any good quality chocolate will work well.
- Reese’s peanut butter baking chips
- Coconut oil
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Create Your Crumbs: You can use any brand of plain (not coated in chocolate) shortbread cookies for this recipe. I used Lorna Doone, but Walkers, Pepperidge Farm, Keebler, and Lotus Biscoff cookies are all great substitutes. You could also swap the shortbread cookies out for crushed Digestive Biscuits, graham crackers, or Nilla wafers.
- Decorate Your Desserts: Feel free to add some colorful sprinkles to the chocolate coating while it is still soft and before it sets. Or use colored sanding sugar, cookie crumbles, or crushed nuts to make them festive for any celebration.
How to Make Skrewball Whiskey Balls
- Make The Cheesecake Mixture: Pulse the shortbread cookies and powdered sugar until you have fine crumbs. Add the cream cheese and Skrewball whiskey and continue to pulse until you have a smooth mixture.
- Make The Ball Bites: Scoop out balls and place them onto a baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up, remove, and then roll between your palms to smooth them.
Pro Tip: You can place your tray of smooth whiskey balls back into the refrigerator to stay cold while you melt your chocolate. - Melt The Milk Chocolate: Microwave the milk chocolate for 1 minute, stir, then heat in 30-second increments until fully melted.
Pro Tip: Be sure to stir between 30-second bursts and do not overheat or it can seize up and not melt properly. - Coat In Candy: Dip each ball in the melted chocolate to fully coat, and place onto the second baking sheet.
Pro Tip: Place the coated ball on a fork and gently tap to remove any excess coating. You can use a spoon to pour the coating over any bare spots. Use a toothpick to gently push the coated bite onto the baking sheet. - Decorate With A Drizzle: Melt the peanut butter chips and coconut oil in the microwave and then drizzle thin ribbons over the chocolate coated whiskey balls. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow the chocolate to firm completely.
- Serve: Serve and enjoy!
Tip For Making The Best Skrewball Whiskey Balls
- The cream cheese must be softened to room temperature before mixing. This will help ensure no cream cheese lumps in your Whiskey cookie balls.
- Do not overheat your chocolate, or you have the risk of it burning or seizing up. If this happens, you will need to start over with new milk chocolate melting discs.
- A 1½ inch (1½ tablespoon) cookie scoop was used for this recipe. If your cookie scoop is slightly smaller or larger, then you will need to note that your total number of whiskey balls will vary slightly.
- Any brand of shortbread cookies will work for this recipe. This recipe was not tested with a creme-filled cookie (like Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies).
- Be sure you are using Reese’s peanut butter baking chips (found where chocolate chips are found in the baking aisle), not the hard shell-coated Reese’s Pieces candies for the drizzle.
- Milk chocolate almond bark candy coating can also be used to dip the whiskey balls into. It works just the same as the melting discs do. You will follow the melting instructions on the package for your brand of almond bark.
- Before your milk chocolate candy coating hardens completely, you can take a toothpick and run it around the bottom edge of your dipped whiskey balls for a cleaner bottom edge once the chocolate hardens completely.
- The microwave used for this recipe is 1000 watts. If your microwave is different, then your heating times may vary. Follow the instructions for your brand of microwave.
- These whisky balls should be stored in a loosely covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
How to Store Whiskey Balls
- To Store: Whisky balls can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: You can freeze these balls in an airtight container for up to 1 month, but you will need to allow them to thaw in the refrigerator to help avoid the outer coating from cracking.
More Easy Boozy Recipes
Other Easy Dessert Recipes
- Oreo Fluff
- Starbucks Cake Pops
- M&M Cookie Dough Fudge
- Nutter Butter Truffles
- Pecan Sandies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
- Butterfinger Balls
- Skrewball Pie
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls
If you tried this Skrewball Whiskey Balls Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Skrewball Whiskey Balls
Ingredients
- 10 ounces package of shortbread cookies Lorna Doone brand
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces block of cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup Skrewball peanut butter-flavored whiskey
- 16 ounces milk chocolate melting discs Ghirardelli brand
- 4 ounces Reese’s peanut butter baking chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat, and set aside.
- In the container of a food processor, add the shortbread cookies and powdered sugar. Pulse for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until you have fine crumbs.10 ounces package of shortbread cookies, ¾ cup powdered sugar
- Add the softened cream cheese and Skrewball peanut butter-flavored whiskey to the food processor and pulse for an additional 20-30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and all the cream cheese has been fully incorporated.8 ounces block of cream cheese, ¼ cup Skrewball peanut butter-flavored whiskey
- Using a 1½-inch (1½ tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop out a level scoop of the whiskey ball mixture and place it onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all the cream cheese mixture has been scooped.
- Place the baking tray into the refrigerator for about 5 hours to allow the whiskey balls to firm up enough to be rolled and dipped into chocolate.
- Once the whiskey balls have firmed up, roll each ball in the palm of your hand to make smooth balls for dipping. *You can place your tray of smooth whiskey balls back into the refrigerator to stay cold while you melt your chocolate.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the milk chocolate melting discs and microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, then melt in 30-second intervals until the chocolate discs are fully melted. Be sure to stir the chocolate between each time in the microwave. Do not overheat your chocolate. Stir until smooth. Allow the melted chocolate to cool slightly before dipping your whiskey balls into it.Tip: Keep the chocolate warm/melted by putting the bowl over a pot of hot water.16 ounces milk chocolate melting discs
- Place a whiskey ball onto a fork and dip the ball into the melted chocolate. Once the ball is fully coated with chocolate, lift the fork out of the chocolate and tap it onto the edge of the bowl to allow any excess melted chocolate to drip off the bottom of the chocolate-coated whiskey ball.Tips: Only take a few of the balls out of the fridge at a time. Dip them and then get a few more balls out to be dipped. Keeping them cold makes it easier to dip.
- Using a toothpick or separate fork, gently slide the coated whiskey ball off the fork and onto the second parchment-lined baking tray. Repeat until all the whiskey balls are coated in the milk chocolate.
- Add the peanut butter chips and coconut oil to a small microwave bowl to make the peanut butter drizzle. Heat for 1 minute at (50-60% power), stir, then heat again in 30-second intervals until the chips are melted. Be sure to stir between each 30-second burst. Stir until smooth.4 ounces Reese’s peanut butter baking chips, 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- Transfer the melted peanut butter chips to a piping bag with a small amount of the tip snipped off. Pipe a drizzle of the melted peanut butter chips in a decorative pattern over the tops of all the chocolate-coated whiskey balls.
- Place the tray of whiskey balls back into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the chocolate and peanut butter to firm up before serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Whisky balls can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: You can freeze these balls in an airtight container for up to 1 month, but you will need to allow them to thaw in the refrigerator to help avoid the outer coating from cracking.
- It is important that the cream cheese is softened to room temperature before mixing. This will help ensure that there are no cream cheese lumps in your Whiskey cookie balls.
- Do not overheat your chocolate, or you have the risk of it burning or seizing up. If this happens, you will need to start over with new milk chocolate melting discs.
- A 1½ inch (1½ tablespoon) cookie scoop was used for this recipe. If your cookie scoop is slightly smaller or larger, then you will need to note that your total number of whiskey balls will vary slightly.
- Any brand of shortbread cookies will work for this recipe. This recipe was not tested with a creme-filled cookie (like Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies).
- Be sure you are using Reese’s peanut butter baking chips (found where chocolate chips are found in the baking aisle), not the hard shell-coated Reese’s Pieces candies for the drizzle.
- Milk chocolate almond bark candy coating can be used to dip the whiskey balls into as well. It works just the same as the melting discs do. You will follow the melting instructions on the package for your brand of almond bark.
- Before your milk chocolate candy coating hardens completely, you can take a toothpick and run it around the bottom edge of your dipped whiskey balls for a cleaner bottom edge once the chocolate hardens completely.
- The microwave used for this recipe is 1000 watts. If your microwave is different, then your heating times may vary. Follow the instructions for your brand of microwave.
- These whisky balls should be stored in a loosely covered container, in the refrigerator, until ready to serve.
This recipe has become a number one requested dessert among my friends and family.
Follow the directions as written and you can’t go wrong.
So glad it was a hit!
I have made these twice now and folks love them. Simple to make thanks
Is it necessary to use melting discs or will regular melted chocolate chips work?
Yes, you can use chocolate chips but you may want to add a small amount of coconut oil or shortening to the chocolate chips. This ensures a smooth, evenly coated finish.
These are so tasty and easy to make. I did add extra Skrewball and powdered sugar to make a larger batch and everyone loved them. Will definitely make these again!
Epic failure. And I am an experience cook. Followed directions. Threw out entire batch.
What failed? I really want to make these but don’t want to waste my time or money. Was consistency off? Flavor? Thanks
I followed this recipe to a T and was left with puddles, not balls. The flavor is perfect but I had to change the name to drunken peanut butter balls as they didn’t hold their shape in the slightest.
Me too, flat and couldn’t roll them into balls and I bake a lot, not sure what happened with these. I’ll try again and use something to bind them more
Could you advise approximately how many this should make? I see it serves 25…but is that 1 per person?
Hi Amanda – It depends on how hungry people are – LOL. They are pretty rich so I would count 1-2 per person probably.
I have not tried it but I have NEVER read a more clear, concise yet comprehensive recipe. I am no baker but I think I could pull this one off from the easy to follow recipe.
Thank you so much Patti!
it’s not bourbon. All bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon is a uniquely American whiskey that is federally defined and regulated. Bourbon is, by law and act of Congress, America’s spirit. A spirit must meet several legal criteria to be called bourbon. 1. It must be a product of the USA. 2. It must be made of at least 51% corn. 3. It must be distilled at less than 160 proof (80% alcohol). 4. The whiskey must be entered into new, charred, American White Oak barrels. 5. It must be entered into those barrels at no greater than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol). 6. Bourbon has to be bottled at no less than 80 proof, or a minimum of 40 percent alcohol-by-volume.
And most importantly, bourbon cannot contain anything other than water, corn, and flavoring grains. if you see something that says flavored bourbon it isn’t bourbon. screwball doesn’t claim to be bourbon it claims to be whiskey. you wouldn’t say that your screwballs have the flavor of scotch because Scotch can only come from scotland. you wouldn’t say they have the flavor of Irish whiskey because Irish whiskey can only come from ireland. the legal rights to call something bourbon was declared in 1964 Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 and it must meet all of the criteria I mentioned in this comment.
other than that, your recipe looks great.
I can’t wait to try these!
I’d probably just use nutter butter cookies to save time. Like using the Oreos. But these sound yummy