Rum Balls

Rum Balls are a classic holiday treat. Full of rich chocolate and spiced rum, store these beauties in the refrigerator for several days before serving for an even better flavor!

Ohio is clearly a little confused in terms of the weather right now. It was sunny and almost 50 degrees today which is a little disappointing considering Christmas is in 4 days and last year we were expecting a huge winter storm around this time.

What can I say? I’m all for a white Christmas.

Despite the warm and sunny weather, we’re checking off items on our holiday baking list one by one.

I’ve got all the ingredients for peanut butter blossoms, snowball cookies, gingerbread cookies, saltine toffee, peanut brittle and of course, rum balls.

What are rum balls?

I was probably around 30 years old before I had a rum ball.

Can you believe it? These are such a holiday classic, yet somehow I just missed the boat for 30 years.

I’m glad that I finally figured out what all the fuss was about, though, because these babies are well worth making.

Rum balls are pretty similar to turtle cookie balls or peppermint oreo cookie balls — just…boozier.

Rum balls are bite-size homemade treats, similar to truffles, made with vanilla cookie crumbs, pecans, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, and spiced rum.

These do taste like spiced rum, so keep that in mind. Although if rum isn’t your favorite, you could try making them with bourbon instead.

Don’t worry about getting drunk from rum balls. Because there is only 4 ounces of rum in the entire batch, you’d have to eat quite a few!

If alcohol isn’t your thing, you might try my no-bake cookies or my simple homemade truffles as easy no-bake holiday gifts.

How to make these classic rum balls

Rum balls are incredibly easy to make. They’re a great option if you need a treat to share but don’t want to turn on the oven!

Ingredients you’ll need

To make this recipe, you will need:

• 3 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies
• ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoonslight corn syrup
• ½ cup spiced rum

Vanilla wafer cookies (aka Nilla Wafers) are my favorite cookie for making these rum balls with. but they aren’t the only option! You could use graham crackers, butter cookies, or even ginger snaps for a different flavor profile.

You can use a food processor, or put the cookies into a ziptop bag, close it, and use a rolling pin to crush the cookies.

I use unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. If you aren’t sure the difference between unsweetened or natural cocoa and Dutch process cocoa, check out my cocoa powder 101 post.

Feel free to omit the nuts if you are allergic.

If you don’t like baking with corn syrup, feel free to substitute with honey. If you live outside of the US, golden syrup is a good alternative to corn syrup as well.

Making this recipe

Grab a very large bowl to mix everything in, as well as a silicone spatula or a sturdy wooden spoon.

Pour the crushed vanilla wafers into the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Drizzle in the vanilla, corn syrup, and rum. Stir well to fully incorporate, making sure there are no dry bits.

To make sure they are wet enough, scoop up a bit of the mixture and squeeze it into a ball in your hands. If it stays in a ball shape, you’re ready to roll!

Add small amounts of additional crushed cookies or more rum as needed to get the perfect texture if your mixture is too wet or too dry, respectively.

Use a cookie scoop to roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, then toss them in a shallow bowl filled with your favorite coating.

Recipe variations

Wondering what you could roll your rum balls in?

You could use cocoa powder, powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar), crushed nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut, or whatever else strikes your fancy — any of them are delicious.

Remember that you can do a little bit of everything, too! This recipe makes about 20 large rum balls, so I think it’s fun to do an assortment of different toppings. It kind of makes them like a box of assorted truffles from your favorite chocolate shop that way!

You can also change up the flavor of your rum balls by trying different alcohol flavors. Instead of spiced rum, try:

• Dark rum
• Coconut rum
• White rum
• Vanilla rum
• Bourbon
• Brandy

Out of vanilla wafer cookies? No problem! Rum balls can be made with other kinds of crushed cookies too, like graham crackers or butter cookies.

If you don’t like pecans, you can swap them in for chopped walnuts or omit them from the candies.

Storage tips

Here’s the best thing about this recipe: Rum balls actually taste better when they’re made in advance AND they last forever in the refrigerator.

Ok, maybe not forever. But they will last for quite some time!

Much like fruitcake cookies, rum balls taste better when they’ve had a few days to sit and let the flavor develop.

Just pop them into an airtight container and stick them in the fridge for at least 2 days, and up to a couple of weeks.

You don’t need to store rum balls in the refrigerator as long as you keep them in a cool, dry place, but I find they have the best flavor and last the longest when kept cold.

I keep mine chilled, packed in a holiday tin lined with wax paper, so they’re ready to go in case unexpected company comes by.

Not sure when you might need your rum balls? Freeze them for longer storage! You can freeze rum balls for up to 2 months.

I recommend packing them with as little air as possible, so if you have a vacuum sealer that will work great.

You can also simply use a ziptop freezer bag and remove excess air before sealing. This will keep your rum balls fresh and delicious!

To thaw, simply remove them from the freezer and place in the refrigerator until they are soft enough to bite.

This is such a great make-ahead recipe for holiday parties, gift giving, or your own personal dessert stash.

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