A sweet treat made its way from Cape Girardeau to Jefferson City. At the Legislative Ball on Wednesday, people got the chance to try a creamy chocolate specialty from southeast Missouri.

Bourbon Balls (Image courtesy of the Corner Grocery Store in Cape Girardeau)

According to the owners of The Corner Grocery Store in Cape Girardeau, their bourbon balls are customers’ favorite.

“Everything about them. They’re so creamy on the inside, and then when we submerge them in milk chocolate and garnish them with that roasted pecan, they’re just delightful. Everybody seems to like them,” said Co-owner, Mary Gentry.

Even Missouri Republican state Senator Wayne Wallingford likes them. Robert and Mary Gentry own The Corner Grocery Store.  Mary told KFVS-TV the Senator took more than 80 bourbon balls to the capital for the Governor’s Ball.

“We’re excited anytime, but when a person of his stature comes in, it makes it a little bit more exciting that someone is gonna take your candies and share them with others. And ya know, the state capital isn’t a bad place to have a tray of bourbon balls,” said Robert Gentry.

He said these homemade specialties started about 76 years ago.

Mary Gentry of The Corner Grocery Store in Cape Girardeau with state Senator Wayne Wallingford (Image courtesy of the Corner Grocery Store)

“It was as if my grandmother was saying if you’re gonna do something with my recipe, now is the time, and we did,” said Robert.

The Gentry’s opened their store 12 years ago, and four years later, they decided to start making chocolate.

“So we went to my grandmother’s recipe, and that’s a bourbon ball. And we decided to take her bourbon ball recipe and create a delicious candy for the people of Cape Girardeau, and that was the start of our candy making and our most popular candy, our Kentucky bourbon ball,” said Robert.

Robert tests each candy for quality when he’s making them, and he loves them all.

“It’s like my grandmother used to say when someone asked her who was her favorite grandchild, she would say the one she was with at the moment. So, I guess it depends on which candy I’m eating at the moment. But the bourbon ball is a little bit dearer to heart because it is my grandmother’s recipe.”

The Gentry’s keep the special bourbon ball recipe a secret between family members.

(Missourinet media partner KFVS-TV contributed this report)