Ah, the annual making of the rum balls…I don’t know what it is about making boozy balls that I enjoy so much. Maybe it’s the booze. Maybe it’s the…booze. Either way, they have become a tradition of mine.
I’ve been making the same recipe for years now, but I can’t recall where I originally sourced it from (I think it may have been an Emeril Lagasse recipe). To be honest, when I was first looking for rum ball recipes, I ended up choosing the one that had the most rum in it. After all, the secret to a good rum ball is the rum.
Start by crushing up a pile of vanilla wafers. In a large bowl, stir together the crushed wafers along with some ground pecans, icing sugar and cocoa. If you’re purchasing your pecans whole, toast them in the oven for a few minutes before grinding them up. If you have pre-ground pecans, just add them to the mix as is.
Select a nice, dark rum for this recipe. I like to use The Kraken Black Spiced Rum, mostly because of the beautiful illustration of The Kraken on the bottle, and clearly bottle illustrations are the definitive test when it comes to assessing rum quality.
Mix your rum together with some honey and a bit of water before adding it to your dry mixture.
Give your boozy concoction a good mix to ensure everything is well combined. You want the mixture to be wet enough that it holds together easily when rolled into a ball, but not so wet that it is soggy and doesn’t hold it’s shape. If you think it’s a little on the dry side, add a splash more rum and give it another good mix.
I have always rolled my rum balls in chocolate sprinkles, and then in icing sugar, but you can roll them in just one or the other, or an entirely different coating of your choosing.
Roll the rum mixture into balls about 1 inch in size, and then roll in chocolate sprinkles. The mixture should be wet enough that the sprinkles stick to the surface.
Next, roll the sprinkle covered rum balls in a bowl of icing sugar to coat them.
Shake off the excess icing sugar and place the rum balls in little candy cups or mini cupcake liners to give them a more festive look!
Rum Balls
Extra boozy rum balls. Made with real rum! None of that silly rum extract flavouring.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: rum ball
Servings: 35 rum balls
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups vanilla wafers, crushed (about 30 wafers)
- 1 cup ground pecans
- 1 cup icing sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
- Chocolate sprinkles for rolling
Instructions
Combine wafers, pecans, icing sugar and cocoa in a large bowl. Stir well.
In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine rum, honey and water.
Pour the rum combination into the dry mixture and stir well (if the mix looks a little dry, add a splash more rum).
Roll into 1 inch round balls.
Roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles.
Roll the sprinkle coated balls in icing sugar.
Notes
If you find the mixture is starting to dry out a bit as your rolling out all the balls, just mix in another splash of rum!
FAQs
Can rum balls make you drunk? This is a no bake recipe, which means any alcohol we use in the process won't be cooked away or made less effective. However, we're not using that much of it, so getting drunk isn't something to worry about! After all, there's only ¼ cup of rum divided among 24 individual bites.
What if my rum balls are too dry? ›
If the dough has dry pockets after you mix the rum and honey into the dry ingredients, add an additional splash of rum and continue mixing until the dough comes together enough to hold together when squeezed. This will help the balls to adhere together better.
What is the origin of rum balls? ›
Rum balls were originally created as a way for Danish bakers to make use of cakes and pastries leftover at the end of the day. They would mix them up with cocoa and rum, and roll the dough into balls, coating with coconut or chocolate sprinkles to sell for a low price the next day.
Can kids have rum balls? ›
Most classic rum ball recipes are made with a dash of rum (totally delicious but adults-only, of course!)... but my rum ball recipe has absolutely no rum in it at all, making it perfect for kids!
Can kids have rum cake? ›
Rum cake is generally not safe for children due to the presence of alcohol. However, additional precautions can be taken to make it child-friendly.
Will rum cake make you drunk? ›
An average rum cake has around 1/2 cup rum to bake the cake and eating two to three pieces of dry rum cake is too less to get you drunk. However, if you soak the cake in rum after baking and serve it after refrigeration, then eating too much cake can get you a little intoxicated.
Does rum evaporate from cake? ›
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.
How to stop rum balls from going flat? ›
Tips and tricks for Rum Balls
- If you're working in a warm kitchen, pop the bowl with the rum ball mix in the fridge before rolling them out. ...
- Wet your hands before handling the mix. ...
- Store your rum balls in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent the rum from evaporating and to ensure they keep their shape.
Does the alcohol evaporate in rum balls? No. They are not baked, so all the alcohol that goes into the mixture of this rum balls recipe will stay there!
Is rum stronger than vodka? ›
The alcohol content of rum and vodka is very similar. Rum typically has an ABV of 40%, while vodka usually has an ABV of around 35%. However, there are some rum varieties that have an ABV as high as 50%.
There is evidence to suggest that moderate alcohol consumption, including rum, may have a positive impact on cardiovascular health. It can raise HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or "good" cholesterol, potentially reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve blood vessel function.
Can you eat rum balls when pregnant? ›
If you are not sure if there is alcohol in what's being served to you, ask. Rum ball may be delicious, but they are not a good idea during pregnancy. Unfortunately, most rum balls actually do contain some alcohol.
Are rum balls high in calories? ›
Rum Balls. There are 44 calories in 1 Rum Ball.
Can a 4 year old eat tiramisu? ›
Is it safe for your baby to eat Tiramisu? Tiramisu is not considered safe for babies due to the presence of coffee and alcohol.
Can you drink 2 year old rum? ›
If kept out of direct sunlight and in a cool setting, unopened rum can be stored almost indefinitely. It is considered a stable liquor with a high ABV to preserve its integrity while in storage. Once opened, a bottle of rum should be used within 6 months to 2 years, depending on the additional flavors in the liquor.
Does rum get you drunk easily? ›
Rum does not get you more drunk than vodka. It's the amount of alcohol you consume in a given period of time, not the spirit per se that determines how drunk you get. For example a shot of vodka or rum (1.5 oz) will obviously enter the bloodstream faster than a co*cktail sipped slowly.
Why do buzz balls get you so drunk? ›
At 15% ABV (30 proof), there's enough alcohol under that Dunlop seal to get you well and truly drunk. The appeal is targeted right to the limbic system. As Liquor.com writer Matt Merkin poetically cracked in a 2014 article, “They are literally ballz that get you buzzed.”
How much alcohol is in rum cake? ›
It is possible to become intoxicated from consumption of an excessive amount of rum cake, and some rum cakes contain even more than five percent of certain grain alcohols, though some are made to consistently contain less than 0.5% alcohol.
