These rum balls are a blend of liquor, chocolate, pecans and cookie crumbs, all rolled together and coated with sprinkles. The perfect dessert or gift option for the holidays that’s sure to be a hit with family and friends.
There’s nothing better than homemade treats, especially around the holidays. I like to offer peanut brittle, chocolate covered Oreos, or these delightful little rum balls to my guests.
When the holidays roll around, I spend plenty of time in the kitchen making festive treats. These no-bake rum balls take just minutes to put together, and they’re the perfect blend of nuts and chocolate.
How do you make rum balls?
Making rum balls is all about mixing the flavorful ingredients into a pool of melted chocolate. First melt some chocolate in the microwave. Stir sifted powered sugar into the chocolate. Mix in dark rum, vanilla and corn syrup. In a separate bowl, take some crushed vanilla wafers, pecans and salt, and stir them together. The wafers and pecans go into the chocolate mixture and your “dough” is complete. After the dough chills a bit in the fridge, roll up the dough into balls. Dip those balls into sprinkles. If the balls are soft, chill them a bit to firm them up.
Tips for the perfect candy
- Keep the dough chilled to make it easier to roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes. You can coat your hands with a little cooking spray if you find the dough sticking to your hands.
- If the balls dry out and the sprinkles become hard to apply, dab a little water over the surface of the uncoated balls.
- While I like the festive look of the sprinkles, you can also coat your balls in more chopped nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, finely shredded coconut, or simply leave them plain.
- Feel free to make these a couple of days ahead of when you want to serve them. The extra time helps the crushed cookies in the balls absorb the rum flavor. Store the balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
- I use a food processor to easily crush my cookies and nuts into fine pieces.
Are rum balls alcoholic?
Yes, these balls do have alcohol. Since the rum is never cooked, the alcohol remains in the balls. These balls have a bit of a kick and are not for anyone under the age of 21
Do rum balls need to be refrigerated?
If you store these treats in an airtight container in a cool area, they do not need to be refrigerated. However, these balls hold together better, last longer and taste better if refrigerated. I highly recommend refrigerating these treats in an airtight container.
How long are rum balls good for?
These balls stay fresh in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Serve them chilled out of the refrigerator or let them thaw on the counter. Don’t store these treats in a warm area. The balls will soften and become harder to eat if they become warm. Storing the balls at a warm temperature will decrease the time that they stay fresh.
These rum balls are a festive and fun holiday treat. They are full of complex flavors and have just the right amount of kick to liven up any party or gathering.
More festive treats you’ll enjoy
- Eggnog Cookies
- Christmas Crack
- Monster Cookies (Christmas Version)
- Christmas Punch
- Christmas Tree Brownies
Rum Balls Video
Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips do not use Nestle brand as they do not melt well
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 3 cups vanilla wafers crushed
- 1 cup pecans crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Start by microwaving the chocolate for 35 seconds. Stir the chocolate and microwave it for an additional 20 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Pour the powdered sugar into the melted chocolate through a sifter or a strainer. Stir the powdered sugar into the melted chocolate.
- Pour the dark rum, corn syrup and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Mix everything
together until it is smooth. - In a separate bowl, mix together crushed vanilla wafers, crushed pecans and salt.
- Stir the vanilla wafer mixture into the chocolate mixture until everything is evenly
distributed. - Cover the mixture and chill it for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and roll 1 inch balls.
- Dip each of the balls in sprinkles, chill them in the refrigerator until firm and serve.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 14, 2019 and was updated on November 5, 2020 with new content.
Tiafunny says
Hello,
Cannot wait to make these. Can I use white rum instead of dark rum?
Sara says
I think that would work fine but I haven’t tested it this way!
BakingChamp says
I would recommend mixing all the wet ingredients together first before adding the dry ingredients. I broke my spatula trying to mix the powdered sugar into just the chocolate. :O Otherwise great recipe. Also works well substituting butterscotch chips and butterscotch schnapps. Going to try vanilla vodka and white chocolate chips next.
Stephanie says
If you choose not to add crushed nuts, do you increase the amount of crushed cookies?
Sara says
Yes that should work fine!
Christmascookiemonster says
These were awesome! They definitely packed a punch. I live in Ontario and couldn’t find Nilla wafers so I substituted crushed plain butter shortbread cookies and the end result was great. Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa says
Can i make the recipe, put the bowl in the fridge and then roll them into balls the next day?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine but you may need to let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes so that the dough is soft enough to roll!
Jaclynn Moss says
What wafers to make this Gluten Free?
Sara says
You’d need to look for some type of gluten free vanilla cookie, I haven’t tested this as a gluten free recipe so unfortunately I can’t say for sure.