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Chocolate Cherry Cookie Balls: An Easy No-Bake Recipe

Chocolate Cherry Cookie Balls

These no-bake chocolate cherry cookie balls combine fine chocolate wafer crumbs, maraschino cherries, pecans, cherry juice, and almond extract into a tender, fudgy holiday cookie. Roll them in confectioners’ sugar or dip them in melted chocolate for a beautiful finish.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 minute
Servings: 30 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Ball Mixture
  • 1 9-ounce package Chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed
  • 1 cup Confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup Maraschino cherries, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup Reserved maraschino cherry juice
  • 1/4 cup Light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract
Optional Finish
  • As needed Additional confectioners’ sugar for rolling

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Drain the maraschino cherries thoroughly, reserving 1/4 cup of the cherry juice. Finely chop the cherries so they distribute evenly throughout the cookie mixture.
  2. Crush the chocolate wafer cookies into fine crumbs in a food processor, or place them in a sealed bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Measure or check the texture after crushing; fine crumbs help the balls hold together.
  3. Combine the cookie crumbs, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, chopped cherries, and finely chopped pecans in a large bowl. Stir until the dry ingredients and fruit are evenly mixed.
  4. Add the reserved cherry juice, light corn syrup, and almond extract. Mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened and the mixture holds together when pressed.
  5. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls, using roughly 1 tablespoon per cookie ball. Place the formed balls on a parchment-lined tray as you work.
  6. Roll each ball in additional confectioners’ sugar if you want a snowy, sweet coating. You can also leave them plain for a deeper chocolate appearance.
  7. Refrigerate the cookie balls for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep them covered in the refrigerator so they stay firm and fresh.

Notes

Drain the cherries well before chopping. If the mixture seems too soft, mix in a few more finely crushed chocolate wafer crumbs. The texture and flavor improve after several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. For another finish, dip the chilled balls in melted semisweet or dark chocolate instead of confectioners’ sugar.