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Traditional Rum Balls Recipe

Traditional Rum Balls Recipe


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4.5 from 40 reviews

  • Total Time: 38 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x

Description

Delightful rum balls showcase Caribbean spirits in a rich, no-bake dessert perfect for holiday gatherings. Chocolate cookie crumbs, cocoa powder, and rum blend seamlessly to create irresistible bite-sized treats you’ll crave year-round.


Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients:

  • 1 cup toasted pecans
  • 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies
  • 1/2 cup spiced dark rum

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Sweet Binding Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spread pecans on a baking sheet, toasting until golden and aromatic, approximately 6-8 minutes. Rotate pecans midway through cooking for even browning. Allow nuts to cool completely.
  2. Pulverize cookies in food processor until achieving a fine, uniform texture. Transfer crumbs to a spacious mixing bowl.
  3. Pulse cooled pecans in food processor, creating finely chopped fragments without creating a paste. Incorporate nut mixture into cookie crumbs.
  4. Sift powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt over crumb mixture. Thoroughly blend dry ingredients using a whisk.
  5. Combine rum and honey, ensuring complete honey dissolution. Pour liquid into dry ingredients, mixing until achieving a cohesive consistency.
  6. Craft 1-inch spherical shapes from the mixture. Refrigerate briefly if mixture feels excessively sticky. Introduce minimal water or rum if texture appears too dry.
  7. Alternate coating techniques: roll half the spheres in powdered sugar, remaining half in cocoa powder for diverse presentation.
  8. Refrigerate rum balls for 2-3 days to enhance flavor complexity. Optional: re-roll in coating before serving to refresh appearance.

Notes

  • Choose high-quality dark rum for deeper, richer flavor complexity.
  • Swap pecans with almonds or walnuts for different nutty undertones.
  • Keep rum balls refrigerated to maintain texture and prevent crumbling.
  • Use gluten-free cookies to make recipe celiac-friendly without compromising taste.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: Desserts, Snacks
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 24
  • Calories: 150
  • Sugar: 9 g
  • Sodium: 10 mg
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg