Dec 18, 2020

Chocolate Rum Balls

The holidays simply aren't complete without this delicious chocolate rum ball recipe, which can be made alcohol-free.

I cannot remember a single Christmas growing up that didn't involve rum balls. They were so yummy and the one "adult treat" I was allowed to sample. Once I learned how to make them myself, and realized how easy they are to make, I was able to continue that tradition without having to pay for store-bought. Plus, I can make them as boozy and nutty as I wish.

Of course, this recipe isn't entirely from scratch. I sped things up by using 3-day-old brownies, but they are still so tasty no one is going to know the difference.

Note that store-bought is rarely made using real rum. So, if you've never had homemade rum balls before, the booziness might surprise you. If you think you might need to tone down the boozy vibes, reduce the rum to 1/4 cup, or see the tip below on how to make these alcohol-free.

To ensure these are gluten-free or dairy-free, just use your favourite gluten-free or dairy-free brownies.

TIP: To make these alcohol-free, substitute the spiced rum with a nut milk, or plant-based milk of your choice and add 1 teaspoon rum extract.

TIP: These are easier to make if the brownies are completely dry, so leave them out until they are hard. For me this took 3 days, for you it could be more or less. The brownies will dry faster if you crumble them before drying. If you try to make the rum balls before the brownies are completely dry, these will be a sticky mess.

TIP: You can use this technique to make all kinds of rum balls. Try swapping the brownies for blondies, or any dense cake.

Ingredients

(Makes 16 servings | Serving size = 1 rum ball)

10 ounces chocolate brownies, dried, crumbled
1/3 cup spiced rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup cacao sprinkles (or regular chocolate sprinkles)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, add the crumbled brownies, rum, vanilla extract, and walnuts. Mix to well saturate the dried brownies.

Cover the rum ball mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to cool and thicken the mixture, and to allow the rum to permeate the nuts.

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, create rough 1-inch balls from the cold rum ball mixture and place them on a large plate or sheet pan. Once all the mixture is scooped into rough balls, cover with plastic wrap again and refrigerate for another hour.

On a plate, spread out the chocolate sprinkles. One at a time, roll the rum balls in your hands to smooth them out, then roll them in the sprinkles, getting a good coating. Place the completed rum balls in small confection cups, or on a serving plate.

When all the rum balls are completed, cover again and return them to the refrigerator until it's time to share.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: