A few of you have commented about how you like to beat the heat. No-cook meals are popular, and I too turn to no-bake desserts when I crave a cookie. This recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Crunchers was intended as a last-minute holiday cookie. Consider this Christmas in July!
Like Vacation Cookies, these cookies can be made with ingredients likely already found in your pantry. The filling is a combination of nuts, dried fruit and cereal held together with chocolate and sandwiched between vanilla wafers. I chose a walnut, dried cranberry, corn flakes and semi-sweet chocolate mixture.
The recipe called for only 1/3 cup of (melted) chocolate chips to cover 48 vanilla wafers. I used all of the 1/3 cup for just 24 vanilla wafers, so I ended up using nearly an entire bag of chocolate chips to coat the filling and the wafers. I guess this proves when it comes to chocolate, I am my mother’s daughter. And despite filling the cookies with a slightly heaping teaspoon of the nut, fruit, and cereal mixture, I had enough filling left over to make 10 additional sandwich cookies.
The cookie was very chocolaty, which was great because just one sated my sweet tooth. The cranberries lent a tart bite here and there, but balanced the overall sweetness quite well. I anticipate I will make variations of these cookies quite often. I may also turn these no-bake cookies into partially baked cookies with homemade vanilla wafers or homemade chocolate wafers when the weather turns cool. Happily, for this summer-lover, that is still a long way off. Enjoy!
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 cup corn flakes, coarsely crushed
- at least 1⅓ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- at least 48 vanilla wafers
- Combine the walnuts, dried cranberries, and corn flakes in a large bowl.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Heat on high power for 1-2 minutes as needed, stirring half-way through.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the nut, fruit and cereal mixture. Stir to evenly coat (a rubber spatula works well here).
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt ⅓ cup of the chocolate chips. Heat just 30 seconds at a time, and stir until smooth.
- Cover the flat sides of two vanilla wafers with the second batch of melted chocolate.
- Place a slightly heaping teaspoon of the chocolate-covered nut, fruit and cereal mixture on the chocolate side of one of the vanilla wafers.
- Top the mixture with the other vanilla wafer, facing the chocolate side of the wafer towards the mixture.
- Repeat until all vanilla wafers have been turned into sandwich cookies.
- If desired, drizzle melted chocolate across the tops of the cookies (a wire whisk works well here).
- Allow to stand at room temperature to firm.
Holy, hot summertime cookies…these look absolutely delicious. I would be happy to take some off your hands since you had to make extra!!!
Lucky for you we live only five minutes apart. A delivery can likely be worked out.
This interesting fact from your chocolate lovin Mom – -
New research shows that a small to moderate quantity of
organic dark chocolate will assist your skin in protection from the UV rays and help in the skin’s self-repair! Sounds like a good reason to enjoy another bite!
I just saw a blurb in Taste of Home magazine that states, “Adults who eat chocolate regularly are thinner than those who don’t.” Sounds like a good reason to eat more chocolate!