Rum Balls {with Spiced Rum}

December 4, 2011
This old-timey family recipe makes the BEST Chocolate Rum Balls, made extra-tasty with spiced rum. They're a classic Christmas favorite, for sure!

Rum Balls with Spiced Rum Image


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

In our family, it's not Christmas without Rum Balls.  My Mom has made Rum Balls at Christmastime ever since I can remember.  And I have more than happily continued the tradition.  

Of course, once I got my hands on the recipe, I "Tracey-ified" it, as I like to do.  

Isn't it so fun to tinker with a recipe to make it your own?  To me, that's what cooking and baking is all about.

Dark spiced rum is richer in flavor than regular rum, which adds a wonderful richness and touch of spice to the rum balls.  

So, I took Mom's classic rum ball recipe and changed the regular white rum to dark spiced rum.  Dark spiced rum is richer in flavor than regular rum, which adds a wonderful richness and touch of spice to the rum balls. 

And oh, then added in some extra rum to the recipe ~ you know, just for good measure.

I make these Rum Balls with Spiced Rum each year to include in the Christmas treat bags I give to friends.  At this point I'm so known for rum balls, I don't think I could get away with not  putting them in my holiday treat bags without some form of a riot.  Of course, my friends never turn down my extra-tasty Kentucky Bourbon Balls, either.

Chocolate Rum Balls Rolled in Confectioners Sugar Image

The extra beauty of these chocolate rum balls?  They're easy to make.  

A bit time consuming if you're making several batches, like I do ... but easy.  

And hey, you can just turn on your favorite Christmas movies and roll away to your heart's content while getting in the holiday "spirit" (pun intended!).

To whip up a batch, start by crushing vanilla wafer cookies to form the base of the rum ball dough.  A super quick and easy way to do this is to give the vanilla wafers a whirl in a food processor.  But if a food processor isn't available, simply put them in a ziploc bag and crush them with a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Do be warned, I love my rum balls quite  "spirited" - aka: I make them a wee bit strong.  Adjust the amount of spiced rum to taste, if you'd like.

Then add in confectioners' sugar, very finely chopped walnuts, cocoa, a touch of honey, and ... the best part ... spiced rum.

Mix everything together until well combined, and then chill the dough for about an hour to make it easier to work with.  Once chilled, form the dough into small balls with your hands and roll each ball in confectioners' sugar.  I sometimes use a small cookie scoop to help keep the size of the rum balls consistent.

And that's all there is to making these Rum Balls with Spiced Rum.  They're an easy no-bake holiday treat.

But do be warned, I love my rum balls quite  "spirited" - aka: I make them a wee bit strong.  Adjust the amount of spiced rum to taste, if you'd like.

Happy holidays!!

Check out these other delicious little-bite treats:
Chocolate Rum Balls Image
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rum balls recipe, rum balls made with spiced rum, Christmas cookies
Cookies & Bars
Yield: about 3 dozen

Rum Balls {with Spiced Rum}

Chocolate rum truffles spiked with spiced rum ~ a classic family favorite Christmas treat.
prep time: 1 H & 40 Mcook time: total time: 1 H & 40 M

ingredients:

instructions:

How to cook Rum Balls {with Spiced Rum}

  1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Cover and chill one hour in the refrigerator.
  2. Form into small smalls (I use a small cookie scoop to measure out each one). Roll each ball in additional confectioner's sugar.
  3. Store in an airtight container.
TRACEY'S NOTES
  1. Each batch makes about 3 dozen Rum Balls, give-or-take a few depending on the size you make each one. I usually make at least a double or triple batch.
  2. These can be made in advance and stored in the freezer until needed.
Created using The Recipes Generator


You might also like these other Christmas favorites:







Classic Rum Balls ~ The BEST chocolate rum balls, made with extra-tasty spiced rum. A Christmas classic, for sure! #rumballs #chocolaterumballs #Christmastreats  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com


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This post is linked with Weekend Potluck.

39 comments

  1. Yummy, those look so good! Pretty pictures, too!
    Merry Christmas
    Leslie

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  2. Yummy! I always loved rum balls, and the ones in the store never tastes as good as home made. And I bet they use rum flavouring, so what is the point right? I must give in and try these!

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  3. Gotta try this...they look so yummy and delicious!

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  4. OOO These look great! Thanks for linking up to A Themed Baker's Sunday at Cupcake Apothecary!
    Alyssa

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  5. I love those tradition recipes. Of course, I have trouble making them because I always want to try something new! These rum balls might fit the bill! Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday. :)

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  6. Those look totally scrumptious! And very festive!

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  7. Hi Tracey,
    What a beautiful presentation for your wonderful Rum Balls. They look delicious! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great week end and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  8. We ADORE these! Alex got so obsessed, he decided he must make them himself! He was very happy to do it "the Tracey way" but in thinking more is better...he generously decided EVEN MORE is even better. Have to say, I suggested he stick to your recipe exactly next time. I will let you guess what he "tweaked" ;)

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  9. I let him read this comment and he suggested his version would need a disclaimer..."If you have more than 3 of these, you probably shouldn't drive." HA! ;)

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  10. You know - I don't think I've EVER had a rum ball. I need to get out of the cave! Thanks for linking to The 12 days of Christmas. SArah

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  11. Very much new to me. Definitely gonna try this week.

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  13. I had no idea rum balls were this easy!! Can't wait to try!

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  14. I could eat 8 handfuls of these. Haha Yum!

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  15. These sound and look seriously delicious...but what exactly are vanilla wafers? What kind do you use?

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    Replies
    1. Vanilla wafers are the round flat cookies used in banana pudding. The most famous are the Nabisco Nilla Vanilla wafers.

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  16. What is the "T" for, is it tablespoon or teaspoon?

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  17. I followed this recipe. Please note some CORRECTIONS to this recipe:

    Firstly, there is no way this amount of ingredients could ever yield three dozen rum balls, as stated. To get three dozen, the recipe should be tripled.

    Secondly, confectioner's sugar must be SIFTED into the dry ingredients. The lumps in the sugar would never smooth out with so little liquid in this mixture.

    Thirdly, they came out very, very rummy.

    Finally, please post recipes responsibly!

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    Replies
    1. Dear anonymous,
      Firstly ~ You must have made your rum balls gigantic. I get 3 dozen just fine.

      Secondly ~ I have made this recipe for almost 30 years, and have never once in my life SIFTED the confectioners' sugar into the dry ingredients. And have never had a problem with lumps.

      Thirdly ~ Ummmmm, yes ... rum balls are supposed to be rummy. If you don't want the taste of rum, make chocolate truffles.

      Finally ~ I have no idea what you even mean by this.

      P.S. ~ While I appreciate each and every one of my readers, there are a multitude of food blogs to read. If you don't find my recipes to your liking, I'm sure there are many other sites out there that may suit your taste.

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    2. I am shocked by the anonymous comment on posting “recipes responsibly” . I have not made these YET but
      #1. These are RUM BALLS( I want to taste the rum, or I would make chocolate balls!/ or something else.
      #2 I have sifted and NOT sifted my 10x sugar and it depends on the sugar as well as just requires extra mixing if there are lumps! That’s a personal preference!
      #3 If you didn’t make the exact size that author of recipes used , you won’t get quantity. But I definitely dislike not getting the amount that’s listed for cookies etc. I will find out later but your post was NOT VERY NICE and i think completely out of line!! No wonder you didn’t leave your name, I would be embarrassed also if I left that insulting post!!

      Thank you for sharing your recipes, I will post my results later

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  18. Must they sit in the fridge for an hour 1st? I really want to try them right away! Lol

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    Replies
    1. They're a little too sticky to roll if they don't get some refrigerator time first. So yes, I recommend not skipping that step. But you can certainly take a little nibble before they chill out!

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  19. Do you know how long these last? I'm trying to see how far in advance before Christmas I could make them. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. These rum balls can last a good long time, so you can easily make them well in advance of Christmas! They'll keep well in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks, or freeze them for up to about 2 months.

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  20. Can I make these with shortbread cookies instead of vanilla wafers?

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Alexandra! I've never tried making these chocolate rum balls with shortbread cookies, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I think it would be fine since shortbread cookies have a mild flavor just like vanilla wafers do, and are about the same texture, too. If you give it a try, please let me know how it goes. Enjoy!

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  21. Hey do u store in freezer?

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  22. I have a question have you ever heard or seen a recipe for Rum Balls without Vanilla Wafers? My mother swore when she was young (before & after WWII) these treats were made without Vanilla Wafers, but I have never been able to locate a recipe. Any suggestions from you or your followers?
    Lise

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    Replies
    1. Hi there, Lise! Unfortunately, no, I have never seen a recipe for rum balls without the vanilla wafers. I'm sure you could use any mild-flavored item that could be ground into a powder ... graham crackers? (though they have more of a "flavor" than vanilla wafers). Shortbread cookies? Anyone else have ideas?

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  23. Can you make these without the walnuts?

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    Replies
    1. Good question! I too would like to know... Can these be made without the walnuts? What would I need to change if I omit the nuts? Help!

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    2. If you make without walnuts the texture will be different. You will also need to increase the dry ingredients to compensate for removing the walnuts.

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  24. Dear Anonymous criticizer...You might want to consider since you are the only one saying negative things about these, that perhaps the error lies with you. Secondly, ask yourself why you feel such a need to be so incredibly rude!

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  26. Definitely a Christmas favourite in our home Tracey.
    Thank you for sharing your recipe for rum balls at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I'm delighted to be featuring this recipe at the party tonight and pinning too.
    Hugs,
    Kerryanne

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  27. I've never had nor made rum balls. Forgive my ignorance but I'm assuming since these aren't cooked you would get the full effect of the rum? Therefore rum balls are not kid friendly?

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    Replies
    1. We do not consider the rum balls to be kid friendly. 1/4 cup of rum is used to make about 36 rum balls and it is not cooked off. We feel Oreo Balls would be an excellent kid friendly alternative.


      https://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2020/11/cherry-oreo-balls.html

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