Florida Orange Meltaway Cookies
A no-bake Florida-style take on Kentucky bourbon balls, featuring concentrated orange juice and pecans.
Ingredients
vanilla wafers (coarsely crushed or broken)
1.66 cup
pecans (chopped, divided)
1.33 cup (about 5.5 oz)
powdered sugar
2/3 cup
orange zest (grated)
3/4 tsp
frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed, do not dilute)
3 tbsp
orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec)
2 tbsp
light corn syrup
2 tsp
Instructions
1
Make the mixture
In a food processor, pulse the vanilla wafers and 1 cup of the pecans until finely ground. Add the powdered sugar and orange zest and pulse until evenly combined. With the machine running, add the orange juice concentrate, orange liqueur, and corn syrup through the feed tube and process until just fully blended. If the mixture is too soft to work with, let it stand for a few minutes until firmer; if it looks dry and crumbly, sprinkle in a small amount of water and pulse briefly to combine.
2
Prepare the coating
Finely chop the remaining 1/3 cup of pecans. Spread them in a shallow bowl.
3
Shape and coat
Using lightly oiled hands, roll the mixture into balls slightly smaller than 1 inch. Press the balls into the pecans and roll until evenly coated with the crumbs. (If the crumbs don't adhere, roll the balls with slightly damp hands to moisten them.)
4
Aging and storage
Let the cookies rest in an airtight container for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 month.
