Eggnog HiFi Buddy Balls—Prototype 1:
 
After having failed a few years back to come up with a decent, eggnog-flavored Bran Buddies recipe, due mainly to a lack of sufficient firmness (the information on my pitfalls and unsuccessful recipes has more details), I felt that I would try a yogurt cheese version, which would also involve white chocolate. I reasoned that these two ingredients, when used together, might finally produce a firm enough mixture (in light of the eggnog also being used), which I would be able to shape into balls.
 
12 oz. white chocolate
1 pint light eggnog
16 oz. yogurt cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8.8 oz. Bran Buds, ground up

A key tip here is using a double boiler or something similar, rather than a microwave oven, not only to melt the chocolate, but also to heat up the eggnog, thus evaporating it a little as well. Cook and fully blend these two together. The sugar and yogurt cheese need to be mixed in at some point as well, but make sure that these first four ingredients are well mixed (and cooled down if still hot) before the Bran Buds are added. After mixing in these Bran Buds, the resulting mixture should thicken a little. Then place the bowl or pot (cooled down) of mixture into the refrigerator for at least a few hours (perhaps no less than six). This should enable the mixture to get somewhat stiffer. The longer the mixture sits in the refrigerator, the firmer the mixture should be. When it is stiff enough, form it into balls, about 2 ounces each, or roughly 1 1/2" in diameter.
 
These turned out just barely firm enough and had a nice taste. I made them especially for Lesa, because of her love for eggnog. Unfortunately, I was afterward informed that she could not safely eat these treats due to their containing wheat, which I learned was bad for an allergy (or other medical condition) that she had. However, a few other guests at the Sports Page gave these HiFi Buddy Balls a try.
 

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