Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, give them a stir every couple of minutes. Walnuts are done with they become fragrant and golden brown. Cool walnuts completely before adding them to a food processor and chopping them until they are fine, but not over-processed.

In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate cookie crumbs, ground walnuts, cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Stir in bourbon until combined.

Moisten your hands with cold water, to preven tthe dough from sticking. Shape mixture into 3/4" to 1 1/2" balls. ( I made twelve 1 1/2" balls) Place them on a parchment lined sheet and cover them lightly with plastic wrap.

Chill 8 hours or overnight.

To coat with melted chocolate, melt bittersweet chocolate and shortening in the microwave, stirring until smooth.
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Dip bourbon balls into melted chocolate mixture and place them on the wax paper lined baking sheet. Place them back in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.

Alternatively, you can roll the balls in unsweetened cocoa powder or in powdered sugar to give them a different look. To make them festive looking for holidays, you could also sprinkle them with sparkling sugar or sprinkles after they are dipped in chocolate.

Place the bourbon balls to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to one week.

*note that they powdered sugar ones don't refridgerate well.