DIY Gifts: Coconut Ganache Bourbon Balls

Holy happy hour, Batman!

These cookies sound so divine, and so simple, that I cannot wait to try them. Vicki, a dear grandmother** of mine, has a Thanksgiving Happy Hour every year in Hank's Bar: her garage was converted to a bar in memory of her late husband, Hank.

**It feels odd to call her a grandmother; she was married to my husband's grandfather, but she never had children. She also happens to be made of awesome, so I'm happy to keep her. ;)

Anyway, the party is always fun - with plenty of flowing booze - so these cookies should be a smash!

Coconut Ganache Bourbon Balls

Yields approximately 30

For the Bourbon Balls

2 cups vanilla wafers or graham crackers crumbs (ground fine)

2 cups chopped pecans (by hand or in food processor)

1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup bourbon or whiskey

6 tablespoons cane syrup or corn syrup

For the Ganache

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons heavy cream

For the Bourbon Balls

In a large bowl, combine cookie crumbs, pecans, confectioners sugar, and cocoa powder. In another bowl, whisk together bourbon and syrup and then combine thoroughly with dry mixture (I find using my hands works best). Allow to sit for a couple of minutes.
Using a small scoop (I prefer a spring-release ice cream scoop), spoon out rounds of the bourbon ball mixture, mashing flat against the side of the bowl to create a flat bottom. Release onto a sheet pan.

For the Ganache

In a food processor, process coconut flakes into small bits. Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream in a glass bowl and microwave one minute to one minute and twenty seconds. Stir until chocolate is melted and glossy.

Dip bourbon balls in melted chocolate (you don't have to coat the flat bottom surface), reheating chocolate as necessary, and place on a cooling rack set on top of wax paper. Sprinkle coconut on top of balls, using fingers to cover the sides thoroughly. Re-use the leftover coconut that falls through the cooling rack wires, if necessary. Allow to set for at least a couple of hours, or overnight (they taste even better after the flavor has a chance to mellow). If you don't like coconut, feel free to just cover them in ganache and allow to set overnight.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. (As if they could last that long!)

Insomnia Cookies

And How to Get Them
This company is a stroke of pure genius entrepreneurship. Insomnia Cookies is a website where you can order cookies and have them fresh-baked and delivered to your home in about 30 minutes! They are a fairly new company. So far their main focus is college campuses (wheee), which makes sense, but you can also order them from Manhattan.
I want one here.
On their main page is a link that says "CLICK HERE FOR FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES". This simply sets up an email to send them. It takes them a short while to respond, but I want everyone who reads this (specifically those in Houston) to write them a quick letter, asking them to set one up down here. All of their current locations are North and North-East, so we could really open up their market. I'm thinking Brad could manage it, and we could find a few happy bakers and drivers - I'm in!
I read about these guys from this article about young entrepreneurs - inspiring, isn't it? It makes me want to start an online company, making and/or delivering something, you know?
We salute you, Seth Berkowitz, for your ingenious manipulation of the need for sugar at all hours!