Cognac Cookies
Submitted by wonderland29
Cognac cookies, no-bake bourbon-ball cousins made with melted semisweet chocolate, crushed vanilla wafers, finely chopped pecans, and a generous splash of cognac. Roll in sugar and let them mellow.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
0 minREADY
45 minThese no-bake cookies are first cousins to bourbon balls, but with the deeper, fruitier warmth that cognac brings. No oven required. Just melted chocolate, crushed vanilla wafers, finely chopped pecans, a glug of corn syrup, and enough cognac to give every bite a slow-burning finish.
The trick is in the texture. Crush the wafers and chop the pecans until they’re truly fine. Coarse crumbs make the dough crumbly and the rolled balls fall apart in your hand. Fine grind, smooth paste, clean roll.
They are good fresh, but they get better. A few days in an airtight tin lets the cognac mellow into the chocolate and the cookie firms up to a fudgy, candy-like density.
Pro Tips
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler on low heat. Direct heat scorches it instantly and there’s no rescue.
- If cognac feels pricey, the original cook swaps half for rum with no loss of character.
- Roll the balls between your palms with a light dusting of sugar to keep them from sticking.
- Age them at least 48 hours in an airtight container before serving. The boozy edge softens into something rounder and sweeter.
Variations
- Swap pecans for toasted walnuts or hazelnuts for a different nutty profile.
- Roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar instead of granulated for a softer, drier finish.
- Use bourbon or dark rum in place of cognac for a classic Kentucky-style bourbon ball.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt chocolate bits.
If you have never worked with melted chocolate before, then use a double boiler with the burner set on low.
Crush vanilla wafers very fine (fineness is important).
Chop pecans (again fineness is everything).
Add sugar, corn syrup and cognac (I use 1 nip of cognac and ½ nip of rum, works fine and costs less).
Stir in pecans and wafer crumbs.
By now the mixture should be a smooth paste.
Remove from heat and form into about 1-inch balls.
Make 3 to 4 dozens cookies.
Roll balls in extra granulated sugar.
Store these in an air-tight container; if you are a chocoholic, have someone hide them from you.
They are best if you allow them to age and mellow.
Comments
I already have the vanilla wafers crushed, not whole to crush. How much would I use in that case? 2 cups?
I think it depends on how finely your wafer is crushed, if very finely crushed, 2 cups would be good, if not very finely crushed, but still finely, 2 1/4 cups would be good. Hope this helps! Enjoy!