There’s nothing better than homemade treats, especially around the holidays. I like to offer peanut brittle, chocolate covered Oreos, elegant eggnog cake, or these delightful little rum balls to my guests.
Rum Balls Ingredients
This rum balls recipe is made with vanilla wafer cookies (such as Nilla brand), pecans, chocolate chips, rum, powdered sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, salt and sprinkles. These rum balls are one of my favorite Christmas desserts along with peppermint bark, Christmas crack, peanut butter blossoms, cake truffles and reindeer chow.
How Do You Make Rum Balls?
Making rum balls is all about mixing the flavorful ingredients into a pool of melted chocolate. First melt some chocolate in the microwave in a large bowl. Stir sifted powered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) into the chocolate. Mix in dark rum, vanilla and corn syrup. In a separate bowl, take some crushed vanilla wafers, pecans and salt, and stir them together. The wafers and pecans go into the chocolate mixture and your “dough” is complete. After the dough chills a bit in the fridge, roll up the dough into balls. Dip those balls into sprinkles, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Candy
Keep the dough chilled to make it easier to roll it into balls. If the dough warms up too much to roll, put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes. You can coat your hands with a little cooking spray if you find the dough sticking to your hands. I use a food processor to easily crush my cookies and nuts into fine pieces. Chill your rum balls on a baking sheet or sheet pan. Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon measuring spoon to gather the dough for the 1 inch balls. Feel free to make these a couple of days ahead of when you want to serve them. The extra time helps the crushed cookies in the balls absorb the rum flavor. Store the balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
Flavor Variations
While these treats are delicious as-is, you can switch up the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
Coatings: While I like the festive look of the sprinkles, you can also coat your balls in more chopped nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, finely shredded coconut, or simply leave them plain. Another great option would be to dip them in dark or white chocolate. Nuts: You can easily swap out the pecans for almonds or walnuts. Cookies: Instead of vanilla wafers, try graham crackers or Oreo cookies for a different flavor. Alcohol: No rum on hand? You can also use brandy or cognac. You could also use bourbon to make bourbon balls. Non-Alcoholic: If you want a booze free version, you can substitute the rum with apple juice or orange juice, or a mixture of the two. The flavor will change depending on what juice you use.
These rum balls are a festive and fun holiday treat. They are full of complex flavors and have just the right amount of kick to liven up any party or gathering. You can even make a cookie tray with these rum balls and some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes like Christmas wreath cookies, thumbprint cookies and snowball cookies!
Rum Balls Video
