Easy Rum Balls
Easy rum balls are made with 6 ingredients. It’s a no-bake recipe that is perfect for gift giving!
While the most popular recipes on my blog are cocktail cupcakes, boozy-ness is certainly not limited to the cupcake form. A holiday favorite for many foodies is rum balls and who can blame them? They are easy to make and deliver a kick.
Why this recipe works: I found this recipe on Food52 and co-founder Amanda Hesser best described it: “A proper rum ball must be dense but moist, and ideally a little gooey. It must sing with booze but shouldn’t be too sweet.” The “pulverized” chocolate wafers are my favorite ingredient due to their Oreo-like taste and compliant character—perfect for a no-bake recipe. The rum is ideally evident and the honey acts as the glue holding it all together.
Step by step instructions
- Make the rum ball mixture: Process the chocolate wafers and pecans in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground. In a separate bowl, combine rum, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and honey. Pour into bowl of food processor and pulse until mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Let the mixture sit for 4 hours or overnight. Uncovered is best.
- Form the balls: Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to scoop the mixture. Use your hands to roll the mixture into balls. Roll in confectioners’ sugar and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
I own this KitchenAid Mini Food Processor and I LOVE IT. I use it all the time, especially around the holidays. It chops nuts in seconds and makes a perfectly smooth dough for rum balls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What rum to use for rum balls: Dark rum is best for rum balls. I suggest Kraken Rum.
How to make rum balls without alcohol: Omit the rum and honey and replace them with 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon rum extract if you still want the rum flavor.
What can I use instead of chocolate wafers: I like chocolate wafers because they make the rum balls fudgy. You can also use chocolate graham crackers or vanilla wafers.
How to store rum balls: Place rum balls in a parchment-lined airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
How to freeze rum balls: Place balls (not touching) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 1 hour so the fudge balls harden. Then place them in a parchment-lined airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Related recipes
Rum is a fun ingredient to bake with! It tastes so good in these buttered rum cupcakes and this rum bundt cake. If you don’t have rum, use bourbon. Any leftover bourbon can be used in these bourbon pecan pie brownies or maple bourbon cupcakes.
If you’re looking for more no-bake truffle recipes, check out my chocolate pecan truffles, which are spiked with Kentucky bourbon.
Fudgy rum balls couldn’t be easier to make and people LOVE them as a holiday gift. They are chocolatey, boozy and bite-sized. What’s not to like? I suggest saving a bowl of rum balls for yourself too. What did you think of this recipe? Let me know by tagging @ifyougiveablondeakitchen on social media!
Get the Recipe: Easy Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs, best made with Nabisco Famous wafers, 1 package pulverized in a food processor
- 1 ¼ cups pecans
- ½ cup (120 mL) good quality bourbon or rum
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioners' sugar, plus additional for rolling
- 3 tablespoons (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the cookie crumbs and pecans until the nuts are finely ground.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the bourbon or rum, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, the cocoa powder, and honey. Add the mixture to the food processor and pulse until just combined.
- Let the dough rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 4 hours or, lightly covered, overnight. This will dry it out a little.
- Use your fingers to roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll the balls in confectioners’ sugar. Store the balls airtight if you like them moist, or uncovered if you like them to develop a crunchy sugar crust on the outside. Sprinkle with (or roll the balls in) additional confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Notes
Recipe from Food52.
