Father's Day 2017: Treat Dad to these tasty golf-inspired brownies

This article originally appeared in Southern Living.

Give Dad a little treat off the golf course with this fun take on a Father's Day dessert. Although these treats look time-consuming, the use of premade ingredients – like Dad's favorite brownies and green icing – simplifies these Golf Ball Brownies. One thing that makes these brownies so special is the bourbon-infused filling inside the white chocolate golf balls. Simply use the leftover brownie bits and add in a splash of Papa's favorite bourbon for a chocolatey, soft truffle filling. Using a candy golf ball mold, you can create the shell for your golf ball truffles with perfect indentations and virtually no additional work. If you don't have any green icing on hand, you can also use green sprinkle, dyed green coconut, or dyed candy melts to create the plush grass on Dad's golf course. Be sure to leave a hole for the ball, though! We've added on a fruit leather-wrapped toothpick as a flag to mark the hole. Try out our awesome brownie and icing recipes below for a sweet and perfectly chewy dessert. Dad will love getting a plate of these charming brownies on his special day, and the whole family will enjoy taking a bite!

For the Brownies:

4 (1-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares

¾ cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 ½ cups Vanilla Buttercream

Green food gel

6 (6-inch) wooden picks

1 piece strawberry fruit leather

For the golf balls:

1 golf ball candy mold with 12 indentions

1 (12-oz.) bag bright white vanilla candy melts

1 cup lightly packed cooked brownie pieces (leftover after circles are cut)

1 ½ teaspoons bourbon

To prepare the brownies, microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 ½ minutes, stirring after 1 minute and then every 30 seconds or until melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating with a spoon just until blended after each addition.

Stir in flour and vanilla; stir in chocolate morsels. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut 6 circles out of cooled brownies. Reserve brownie pieces for brownie truffles.

Color buttercream with green food gel. Using a grass piping tip pipe the green buttercream over the tops of the brownie circles to look like grass. Leave a small hole for the flag (about ¼-inch circle).

Cut 1 inch off the bottom of each wooden pick. Unroll the fruit by the foot. Cut the fruit gummy into 2-inch pieces on a diagonal on one end. Starting with the straight side, roll the fruit gummy around the top of the wooden pick until only a triangle flag is left. Put the wooden pick into the hole left in the brownie.

To prepare the golf ball truffles, make sure the golf ball candy molds are completely dry.

Microwave candy melts according to package directions. Stir until coating is melted and smooth. Using a spoon fill each golf ball cavity with white coating, coming up to the top of each cavity. Let the mold sit for 2-3 minutes, until the coating just starts to get a little thicker.

Place a piece of wax paper on a work surface. Invert the mold, letting the excess coating drip onto the wax paper. (You can reuse the candy coating that drips off for another use). Once only an thin layer of white coating remains, set the mold right side up and use a bench scraper to remove any excess coating from the top of the mold. (This helps to create smooth edges on the golf balls.) Refrigerate the mold for at least 15 minutes. Reserve any leftover white melted candy for later.

Combine brownie pieces and Grand Marnier, stirring until a dough-like consistency is formed. Scoop brownie mixture into 2 teaspoonful portions and roll into balls. You will need at least 6.

Pop golf ball halves out of candy molds. Place 1 ball in each of 6 golf ball halves. Re-melt some of the reserved white candy melts. And place in a piping bag with a small round hole. Pipe a circle of coating around the edge of the golf ball half with the truffle. Top with a second golf ball half. Run your finger around the edge to remove any excess coating. Repeat until you have 6 filled golf ball truffles. Refrigerate truffles for 15 minutes.

To serve, place 1 golf ball truffle on the grass of each brownie. Serve at room temperature.