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Rum Balls are a classic holiday treat. Boozy, chocolatey and rich, store these beauties in the refrigerator for several days 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 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 booze 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 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!
Grab a very large bowl to mix everything in, as well as a silicone spatula or a sturdy wooden spoon.
You’re also going to need to crush up some vanilla wafers. 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.
Pour the crushed vanilla wafers into the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients to have everything evenly dispersed.
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 crushed wafers or more rum as needed to get the perfect texture.
Use a cookie scoop to roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, then toss them in a shallow bowl filled with your favorite coating.
RUM BALL 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 several of a few different toppings.
If you roll them in powdered sugar, keep in mind that you may want to re-roll them just before serving, as the powdered sugar tends to absorb a bit while they rest in the refrigerator.
You can also change up the flavor of your rum balls by trying different rum flavors. Instead of spiced rum, try:
- Dark rum
- Coconut rum
- White rum
- Vanilla rum
- Bourbon
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.
STORAGE TIPS
Here’s the best thing about this recipe: They 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.
Rum Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ cup spiced rum
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the crushed vanilla wafers, 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and nuts. Drizzle in vanilla, corn syrup and rum.
- Scoop and shape into 1 inch balls or larger. I used about 4 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture per ball which equaled 2 level scoops from a small OXO cookie scoop.
- Roll Rum Balls in additional confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, sprinkles or whatever strikes your fancy. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days to develop the flavor.
Video
Notes
– I served my Rum Balls in mini cupcake liners that I picked up from Target.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These rum balls look delicious! Is there anything you can add to replace the rum, though? I don’t think my mom would appreciate it if I got drunk off cookies :D
You won’t get drunk from eating these cookies. The rum gives them a nice, distict flavor. If you prefer, use rum flavoring; you can pick it up in the aisle that has vanilla and other flavorings.
I love making rum balls. The first I ever had was made with bourbon and packed a punch! I’ve also made them with amaretto and butter rum schnapps.
Potato Chip Cookie
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup crushed Ruffle potato chips
Mix all, roll in balls, flatten and bake at 350 for 15min…tasted like the most heavenly shortbread cookies ever!
1 Saltine sleeve, half pound butter, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Place saltines in a single layer on a cookie sheet (line with parchment paper!) salt side up. In a saucepan, heat butter and sugar for 3 min until a soft boil. Pour over saltines and spread over crackers. Bake for 7 mins in a 400 oven. Once crackers are out…immediately, pour chocolate chips over hot butter/sugar crackers. Let stand 3 to 4 min and spread (the heat will melt the chips). Let cool for 20 to 30 (better in fridge) and break apart like brittle. It’s like candy/cookie crack!
Chocolate christmas biscuits
1/4 cup cornflour.
1 cup flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup castor sugar
100g butter
2 tbsp milk
mix cornflour cocoa sugar in bowl rub in butter gradually add milk knead to form dough chill for 2 hours roll out cut into shapes that u need cook at 180 for 15 mins when cool decorate with either chocolate icing or melted chocolate i put m and ms on top
ORANGE COOKIES
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. margarine
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. sour milk ( 1 1/2 tsp. vinegar + 1/2 c. milk)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 orange – juice and rind (2 Tbsp. juice and 3 tsp. rind)
Sift dry ingredients together. Cream sugar and margarine. Add egg; mix at slow speed. Gradually add dry ingredients alternately with sour milk. Add orange juice and orange rind. Drop by spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 400. Cool and frost with orange icing.
GINGERBREAD COOKIES
• 1/2 c. margarine
• 1 c. molasses
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 3/4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
Heat molasses to boiling in deep saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in margarine and soda. Sift flour with baking powder and spices. Combine with molasses mixture. Mix well. Chill dough. Roll out 1/8” thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350. Allow cookies to cool slightly before removing from sheets. Cool completely and decorate
My favorite holiday cookies are “Santa’s Cookies.” They are oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and pecans!
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (softened)
2/3 cup of brown sugar
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/8 Cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
6 oz (half a bag) semisweet chocolate chips
1 Cup of pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cream butter with both brown and white sugar, and mix 1 egg. Add 1 tsp. vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl, sift 1-1/8 cup flour, 1/8 tsp. salt & 1 tsp soda & add to wet mixture, in batches. By hand, add oatmeal, chocolate chips and pecans. You will need to mix the last three ingredients by hand, because the dough will be thick. You wouldn’t want to overwork your mixer, or break your favorite wooden spoon.
Roll about tablespoon sized cookie dough balls in your hands, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for approximately 13 minutes.
I have a blog, but haven’t any pics of these delish little cookies, so have yet to post. Here is the recipe for…
Almond Shortbread Cookies
1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp almond extract
2 1/2 c flour, (sifted then measured)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c walnuts
powdered sugar
Directions:
Beat butter until light & fluffy. Sift sugar into butter. Cream together. Add egg yolk, vanilla, almond extract. Sift flour & baking powder together. Add nuts and then flour mixture to creamed mixture. Stir to form soft dough. Knead lightly. Chill several hours.
To Bake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form into tsp sized balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until just lightly golden. While cookies are still hot, roll gently in powdered sugar.
Enjoy!!
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http://www.welcometomontalvocountry.blogspot.com
Love these! My mom always made Rum Balls for Christmas when I was growing up.