Rum Balls
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"It's a sticky job, but somebody's got to do it"
Rum balls have been a family tradition for decades. We really can’t get to the New Year without rum balls.
They are easy to make and it is nice that they don’t need to be cooked. Just a bit messy to make, but if you put your favorite music on and light some candles to create a cozy atmosphere, they can be a nice inside job to do on a chilly, rainy or snowy winter day. I make them early, because with time, they season even more.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs or digestive biscuits
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup rum or bourbon
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup corn syrup
Directions:
The trick to keep this vegan is to make sure the cookies are vegan.
Read the labels carefully, you can find vegan cookies and even vegan (no butter or honey) graham crackers.
Using a kitchen machine, or blender or food processor or a rolling pin (depending on what you have available), turn the cookies into fine crumbs.
Combine wafer crumbs and chopped nuts.
Add remaining dry ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly.
I mix the corn syrup and rum together and then add to the crumb mixture, using a big spoon or fork, mix all together well. It will be a sticky mass.
You can put it in the refrigerator for a short time to harden a bit before making the balls, sometimes this makes it easier, or less sticky.
Roll into balls 1 inch in diameter then roll balls in either confectioners’ sugar or finely chopped nuts.
Makes 40-48 balls. Store in a cookie tin or Tupperware tightly sealed.
They flavor with time so by the time Christmas comes around they are quite tasty.
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 at 8:28 am and is filed under Cocoa, Desserts and Sweets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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These are really good but – woah – really sticky! I didn’t put in the nuts so at first there wasn’t enough solid matter, but I put in an extra cup and a half of crushed cookies and I think they turned out okay…
I made these and love them… the only problem is when I roll them in powdered sugar, they immediately absorb it and come out all sticky. What am I doing wrong? I don’t want to roll them in coconut… should I try something else?
These turned out really well. I liked an earlier batch my s.o. made with less of a rum flavor though– 1/2 cup rum can be pretty potent depending on the stuff you use. Mine also didn’t have the stickiness problem for whatever reason.
Hi Wally,
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, it depends a lot on which rum or bourbon you use…so is more potent than others. I’m glad you did not have the stickiness issue. I have not had that either…but sometimes it does happen..so I need to warn folks of it. I hope you enjoy them and have a nice holiday season.
Hi Jennifer and AJ,
Thank you for your comments. I’m sorry your mixture has turned out so sticky. Mine did not, although once in a previous year it did. Obviously too sticky means too much liquid. You could add more crushed cookies, or some ground nuts, or perhaps just let the batter sit and absorb for a while. The powdered sugar does get absorbed while sitting t=in the cookie tin for a week or so…and I usually renew it by rolling them in the powdered sugar again just before serving them. I hope this info helps, they are really yummy, and a favorite of most guests.