Traditional rum balls recipe

This traditional rum balls recipe is a tasty treat for grown-ups. This easy, no bake recipe comes together in no time and because the flavor develops even more overnight, it’s the perfect make ahead sweet. Old fashioned rum balls are always a hit at holiday parties.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without these old fashioned rum balls. They are as much a part of our holiday treats as gingerbread, buckeyes and sugar cookies. This recipe makes 5 dozen, so it is great for cookie exchanges and gift-giving.

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Why you should make this recipe

• Fast & Easy – The recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make.
• Versatile – I have over a dozen flavors of rum ball recipes – you can easily make swaps to change the flavors!
• Make ahead – The flavor develops even more overnight, making these the perfect make ahead no bake cookie.

Traditional rum balls recipe

There are plenty of variations out there for making this no-bake treat. You can use vanilla wafer cookies, or chocolate cookies. You can make them with or without cocoa.

Rum balls can be rolled in anything from regular sugar or powdered sugar to nonpareils or colored sanding sugar for a more festive look. As long as they are boozy, you are doing it right.

Ingredients

• Vanilla wafer cookies
• Pecans
• Powdered sugar
• Salt
• Allspice
• Dark rum
• Light corn syrup
• Granulated sugar

How to make rum balls

This traditional rum balls recipe is very easy to make. If you don’t have a food processor, place pecans and cookies in a zip-top plastic bag and break up with a rolling pin.

1. Combine vanilla wafer cookies and pecans in bowl of a food processor. Grind cookies and pecans until they look like coarse sand.
2. Add rum, corn syrup and spices to bowl, then add cookie and nut mixture. Cover and refrigerate rum ball mixture.
3. Using a small cookie scoop, portion rum balls and roll into smooth balls.
4. Toss in sugar mixture and place on parchment-lined sheet pan.

Easy rum balls Q&A

Last year, I had mine in the refrigerator for three weeks before they were all gone and they were still perfectly fine.

For this reason, these are a great make ahead treat for the holidays. After I’ve portioned out whatever I need for cookie exchanges or gifts, I keep the rest of refrigerated for friends who pop over during the holidays.

Personally, if I can feel like I’m having a drink and eating a cookie at the same time, I’m in. Therefore, my cookies definitely taste like rum.

Variations and substitutions

• I don’t put cocoa powder in my rum balls, but if you want them to have just a touch of cocoa flavor, add 2 tablespoons with the powdered sugar in the dough.
• Another possibility would be to add a bit of cocoa powder to your sugar mixture and roll them in a cocoa sugar blend.

Easy rum balls for Christmas

As my mom says, this traditional rum balls recipe will make your eyes twirl. And let’s face it, as wonderful as Christmas is, sometimes it’s also very stressful.

We are all juggling so many things during this hectic time of year. We need an easy rum balls recipe that can be whipped up with little effort and not much time. The most time consuming part of this recipe is waiting to eat them.

For some seasonal variations, try these peppermint rum balls and gingerbread rum balls too!

Helpful tools and equipment

Here are a few suggested products to make these even easier.

• Cookie scoop – so the rum balls are all uniform in size. I used a tablespoon-sized scoop to portion mine.
• Red serving bowl – so festive!
• Food processor – makes quick work of these. It is one of the most utilized tools in my kitchen.
• Food scale – so useful! This is the one I own.

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More Rum Ball Variations:

• Pumpkin Rum Balls
• Coconut Rum Balls
• Chocolate Coconut Rum Balls
• Cherry Rum Balls
• Chocolate Covered Rum Balls
• Cinnamon Rum Balls

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

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