 Brandy Cranberry Macadamia Nut Balls |  |  |
 vanilla or chocolate |  wax paper to catch drips |  use sharp knife underneath |  some stick more than others |
 Eggnog Brandy |  Butterscotch Bourbon Pecan (butterscotch chips for coating) |  Christmas Rum balls |
 Margarita and Pina Colada |  Frangelica Nutella |  Summer assortment |
It's just so easy to turn leftover cookies (I made the Brandy Cranberry Macadamia Nut ones in first photo from leftover cookies I had from Thanksgiving, plus my homemade Brandy Cranberry Macadamia Nut Relish) or cake scraps into cake balls (with or without liquor). You'll want bon bon papers for them. The grocery stores don't have a big selection & even Hobby Lobby doesn't either ~ but you can find them on eBay fairly cheap & lots of designs (but they come from China, so plan ahead)
When you have just a few "old, stale" cookies, put them into a baggie to use to make cake balls later. I put the cookies into my food processor and pulsed until they were crumbs (they just about filled the food processor before being pulsed) ~ then I added about 3/4 cup of my homemade Brandy Cranberry Macadamia Nut Relish and pulsed it all together. It happened to be just the perfect texture (use a regular cookie scoop {overflowed} and squeeze in your hand to form a ball. If it sticks together well & doesn't fall apart, then it's perfect!) Other stick-together additions can be fruit jam or canned frosting ~ and about 1-2 TB of liquor. If it's too sticky, add more cookie crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs).
Next, I put a piece of wax paper on a small rimmed baking sheet and make balls with all of my concoction. Then stick into the freezer for at least an hour (or for days, if you want to finish them another time).
Set up for dipping the cake balls: I put a sheet of wax paper on the counter, with a rack over it (not a roasting rack, but a rack with smaller grids so the cake balls won't fall through.) If you're going to put on sprinkles or Sparkling Sugar (the clear is really pretty on them), then have it open and out since you'll need to put it on each cake ball after it's dipped (b/c it hardens so fast & won't stick if you wait) ~ small whisk and a small spoon (but longer handle)
I don't know how much melting bark you'll need b/c it depends on how many cake balls you have. You can always use chocolate chips too, but they're more expensive. Either vanilla or chocolate are fine. I'd say to start with 4 squares ~ I use a large microwave-safe glass container (with a lid b/c you can refrigerate any extra to use another day). Add about 1 TB shortening (Crisco) ~ the white usually takes me 45 sec. to check and then another 40 seconds ~ but the actual chocolate one sometimes only takes 60 seconds total.
When it's melted ... Now, the absolute "no-no" (which I ignore) is to add a few tsp. of liquor or a drop of food coloring or even about 1 TB of eggnog! It will look curdled, but use a really small whisk and it will come back to being really smooth. I put them in with my little spoon & roll them until covered ~ then lift out and put onto the rack ~ immediately put any sprinkles or Sparkling Sugar on each one!
Let them harden up enough to pick up (may need a little sharp knife to slide under them on the rack to loosen the coating) and put into the bon bon papers. Then refrigerate (or even freeze up to about 2 months).
TIP: If you're making several kinds of cake balls, use the first letter of each as the decoration on top, so you know which kind it is! My Eggnog Brandy have a big freeform "E" on the top.
When you have just a few "old, stale" cookies, put them into a baggie to use to make cake balls later. I put the cookies into my food processor and pulsed until they were crumbs (they just about filled the food processor before being pulsed) ~ then I added about 3/4 cup of my homemade Brandy Cranberry Macadamia Nut Relish and pulsed it all together. It happened to be just the perfect texture (use a regular cookie scoop {overflowed} and squeeze in your hand to form a ball. If it sticks together well & doesn't fall apart, then it's perfect!) Other stick-together additions can be fruit jam or canned frosting ~ and about 1-2 TB of liquor. If it's too sticky, add more cookie crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs).
Next, I put a piece of wax paper on a small rimmed baking sheet and make balls with all of my concoction. Then stick into the freezer for at least an hour (or for days, if you want to finish them another time).
Set up for dipping the cake balls: I put a sheet of wax paper on the counter, with a rack over it (not a roasting rack, but a rack with smaller grids so the cake balls won't fall through.) If you're going to put on sprinkles or Sparkling Sugar (the clear is really pretty on them), then have it open and out since you'll need to put it on each cake ball after it's dipped (b/c it hardens so fast & won't stick if you wait) ~ small whisk and a small spoon (but longer handle)
I don't know how much melting bark you'll need b/c it depends on how many cake balls you have. You can always use chocolate chips too, but they're more expensive. Either vanilla or chocolate are fine. I'd say to start with 4 squares ~ I use a large microwave-safe glass container (with a lid b/c you can refrigerate any extra to use another day). Add about 1 TB shortening (Crisco) ~ the white usually takes me 45 sec. to check and then another 40 seconds ~ but the actual chocolate one sometimes only takes 60 seconds total.
When it's melted ... Now, the absolute "no-no" (which I ignore) is to add a few tsp. of liquor or a drop of food coloring or even about 1 TB of eggnog! It will look curdled, but use a really small whisk and it will come back to being really smooth. I put them in with my little spoon & roll them until covered ~ then lift out and put onto the rack ~ immediately put any sprinkles or Sparkling Sugar on each one!
Let them harden up enough to pick up (may need a little sharp knife to slide under them on the rack to loosen the coating) and put into the bon bon papers. Then refrigerate (or even freeze up to about 2 months).
TIP: If you're making several kinds of cake balls, use the first letter of each as the decoration on top, so you know which kind it is! My Eggnog Brandy have a big freeform "E" on the top.
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