Cookie Exchange: Cherry Bourbon Balls

Ooooh, yummy! I always enjoy making these balls.

Ingredients

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup bourbon (Verify that bourbon is still good. Take a swig.)
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 3 cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 1/2 cups ground walnuts
• 24 candied cherries, halved
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth. I find that 2 1/2 minutes is about right on my microwave. If you go too long, then the chips burn, so watch it!

Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and corn syrup. Bourbon may have gone bad, so double check by taking another swig!

Crush the cookies! Crush the walnuts! Crush, crush, crush!

I love ziplock bags for this 'cause otherwise I'd spend all morning cleaning up after myself. Take another swig of whiskey to gather the courage to crush!

The recipe says to mix the walnuts and cookies together and then add the chocolate/bourbon mixture, but if you crush them together, I find it doesn't matter. Have more bourbon at this step.

Form your assembly line! The recipe doesn't stress this part enough. Have everything in a neat little line -- dough, cherries, sugar and bourbon -- it will make things a lot easier. Trust me.

Here's the process: Shape into 1 inch balls and press a cherry half into the center of each one. Roll each cookie in confectioners' sugar to coat. Have a swig of bourbon. From time to time, scrape the dough off your hands. Otherwise it gets to sticky to roll the balls.

Store in an airtight tin for at least a week before serving. I also find it's nice to coat the inside of the container with bourbon before adding the balls 'cause it makes everything nice and bourbony.

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