Rum Balls are one of the easiest and tastiest treats you can make for the holiday season. With rum, vanilla wafers, and nuts, these rum balls have a flavor that cannot be beaten.
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Table of Contents
What Are rum balls?
These classic rum balls with vanilla wafers are a sweet confection similar to a cake ball or a truffle. While these have a different base, the idea is quite the same.
Traditional rum balls are an easy no bake treat you can prepare ahead of time and enjoy as an appetizer or finger food at a party or as a dessert! They are great for homemade holiday gifts.
Do rum balls contain alcohol?
Why yes, yes they do! It’s how they got their name. There isn’t an excessive amount of rum in the recipe, but enough to provide great flavor.
Ingredients needed for rum balls
This is a simple recipe so you don’t need a lot of ingredients. Just take a glance at this list of rum balls ingredients to make sure you have everything to get started on your no-bake rum balls.
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
- Rum
- Light Corn Syrup
- Vanilla Wafers
- Walnuts or Pecans
What type of rum should you use in rum balls?
Since rum is the star of the recipe, this is a great place to use a very flavorful rum.
If you are buying rum specifically for this recipe, I would suggest either gold rum or dark rum.
However, if you’re a rum drinker, get your favorite kind so you can enjoy it after making the rum balls.
Do I need to use rum?
If you like the idea of the rum balls but can’t stand the taste of rum that is okay! Switch it out for something you enjoy. You can use substitute rum with your favorite alcohol or liqueur. Here are some suggestions:
- Bourbon
- Brandy
- Whiskey
- Madeira
Can I make rum balls without rum?
You can make rum balls without rum. You would need to use a rum extract or you can omit the rum extract if you desire. Use 2 teaspoons of rum extract instead of the rum.
How to make rum balls
- Whisk cocoa and powdered sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add rum and corn syrup. Stir to combine.
- Crush the vanilla wafers with either a food processor or by placing the wafers in a plastic bag and crush them buy using a rolling pin.
- Fold in the crushed vanilla wafers and chopped nuts.
- Roll the dough into balls. You can use a cookie scoop to portion it out so you have the same size balls.
- Roll each ball in powdered sugar.
How to make rum balls without alcohol
If you want to make these rum balls without alcohol, then you can use apple or orange juice as a substitute for the rum. However, this will change the overall flavor of the rum balls.
What can you roll rum balls in?
When making these rum balls you don’t have to use powdered sugar as the coating. Here are a few suggestions of coatings for rum balls that will also be tasty:
- Cocoa powder
- Crushed peanuts, pecans, or walnuts
- Sprinkles
- Sweetened shredded coconut
You can also dip rum balls in melted chocolate (milk, dark, and white) as you would with peanut butter balls and chocolate truffles.
How to coat rum balls perfectly
- Once you are ready to roll the rum balls, put a generous amount of the coating ingredient in a large container. A pie plate works well.
- Place a rum ball in the coating and gently use a fork or a spoon to roll the ball around.
- Once the ball is completely covered, use a fork to pick it up from the bottom and place it in an airtight container.
- Continue doing this for the rest of the rum balls until they are all covered.
How long do rum balls last?
Rum balls must be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They are actually best when made a day or two ahead of time to let the flavors meld together.
Rum balls will last for 2 weeks in the fridge, or they can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months!
Can rum balls be frozen?
Yes, they can be frozen. Place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 2 months.
Great boozy holiday recipes
Favorite holiday treat recipes
- Almond Brittle
- Chocolate Butterscotch Haystacks
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Homemade Peppermint Bark
- Microwave Peanut Brittle
- Rocky Road Candy
- Spiced Pecans
- Zebra Cake Truffles
Check out more of my easy dessert recipes and the best Christmas recipes here on CopyKat!
Thanks to tlczoo for sharing this recipe.
Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup rum
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 2 cups powdered sugar to roll balls in
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cocoa and powdered sugar.
- Add the rum and light corn syrup. Stir to combine.
- Fold in the vanilla wafers and chopped nuts.
- Roll the mixture into balls, and roll each ball in powdered sugar.
I made these with 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 pecans- used white rum and added a tsp of rum flavouring to amp up the flavour ( didn’t have dark rum) Rolled in icing sugar- amazing!! Love this Xmas staple from the olde days!!
I’ve heard they can be made with rum extract or flavoring, i LOVE rum, but don’t do alcohol. Anyone have recipe or thoughts on how I could try this? I know it won’t be near the amount as the rum drink. Thank you
I would add 2 teaspoons of the rum extract to the rum balls.
I loved this reciepe… I used 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 pecans along with fresh coconut. (Left out the cocoa for those who don’t do chocolate).
Blended them all up in the blender to get the base.
Turned out amazing!