Created from pecans, Biscoff cookies, confectioners’ sugar, and—sure, rum!—rum balls are a grownup-favorite festive deal with which can be straightforward to make and enjoyable to reward. They style even higher after a day or two within the fridge, so I like to recommend making them prematurely. Excellent little vacation deal with for the cookie tray!
Let’s give the grownups some credit score across the holidays. We’ve a LOT to do in a brief period of time. Between adorning, buying, wrapping, baking, planning for company or journey, internet hosting/attending events… it’s a enjoyable time of yr, but additionally the busiest. So let’s do some one thing particularly for the grownups for a change… let’s make rum balls!
(SIDE NOTE: Whereas not strictly a cookie recipe (in spite of everything, I do have a special model of those in my Sally’s Sweet Dependancy guide), I made a decision they qualify for Sally’s Cookie Palooza as a result of they’re usually included on a vacation cookie tray. And they’re made with crushed cookies, so… let’s simply roll with it. Pa-RUM-pum-pum-YUM.)
Why You’ll Love These Boozy Rum Balls
- 2-bite little treats
- Make-ahead pleasant—in actual fact, they’re even higher after they’re made forward!
- Fast and straightforward no-bake recipe
- Utilizing Biscoff cookies elevates these to the perfect rum balls you’ve ever tasted
- Dairy-free, egg-free recipe
Solely 7 Substances
- Pecans: You should utilize giant pecan halves or smaller items; both approach, they’ll get finely chopped with the cookies within the meals processor.
- Biscoff cookies (or Nilla Wafers): My crew and I examined making rum balls with Nilla Wafers, which is what most rum ball recipes use, however the Biscoff ones have been the clear winner in a style check. By far the favourite! If you happen to’d choose to make use of Nilla Wafers as an alternative of Biscoff, see recipe Notes under.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Sweetens the rum balls.
- Cocoa powder: I used high-quality Guittard model dutched cocoa powder right here, relatively than the essential cocoa powder I normally use for baking (Hershey’s). This isn’t sponsored in any respect, however we actually observed a distinction when utilizing the high-quality stuff. You solely want 2 Tablespoons (10g) within the recipe. See what your grocery retailer carries, and choose a better high quality product in case you can.
- Rum: I really like these with spiced rum, particularly across the holidays, however you could possibly additionally use darkish rum and even coconut rum, whichever is your choice.
- Vanilla Extract: Home made vanilla extract could be nice in these rum balls!
- Honey: A bit of honey is the “glue” that makes the combination come collectively.
The way to Make Rum Balls
Begin by grinding the Biscoff cookies and pecans collectively in a meals processor right into a high quality crumb. Add the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, and pulse a couple of occasions to mix. Switch the dry combination to a big mixing bowl. Add the moist components and stir nicely with a silicone spatula till a moist dough varieties.
Very straightforward, however I do have some success ideas under.
You don’t must refrigerate the combination earlier than rolling, since you need the dough to be sticky, so the coating will stick with the rum balls. However let it sit for about 10 minutes earlier than rolling into balls, to present the crumbs a while to soak up the liquid.
Scoop a Tablespoon of the combination and roll right into a ball. Give it a roll in one in all your coatings of alternative (ideas under!), and place it on a tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Add a Coating
That is the place you possibly can have some enjoyable with all of the other ways you possibly can coat the rum balls to make them look fairly! Listed below are a couple of suggestions:
- Finely shredded/desiccated unsweetened coconut
- Confectioners’ sugar (roll rum balls on this twice, like with snowball cookies)
- Finely chopped nuts
- Sprinkles
- Biscoff cookie crumbs
- Cocoa powder
- Dunk in melted chocolate, like we use for chocolate peanut butter balls and Oreo balls
After coating, place the tray of rum balls within the fridge. These style even higher after a day or two of chilling, when the flavors actually meld collectively and mellow out the rum taste.
Rum Ball FAQs
You possibly can exchange the rum with half orange juice and half apple juice/cider, however clearly the style will change. Or I like to recommend making these no-bake chocolate coconut snowballs as an alternative!
You should utilize pecan meal (already floor pecans) if you could find it within the retailer, and crush the cookies in a zip-top bag, utilizing a rolling pin and a few arm muscle. Use a whisk to mix all of the dry components.
As a result of they’re not baked, the alcohol doesn’t cook dinner off. However you’d should eat A LOT of them to really feel that alcohol impact!
Whereas I’ve not examined this, you could possibly possible simply use extra Biscoff cookie crumbs. See recipe Be aware under.
Sure. Bourbon is one other widespread alternative.
No, however I extremely advocate it for the perfect style and texture.
Proper after making the rum balls, sure, they style fairly boozy. Nonetheless, give them a day or 2 after which the Biscoff, cocoa powder, and pecan flavors actually start to shine. They’re SO a lot tastier after the flavors mingle!
Dos and Don’ts for the Greatest Rum Balls
- Do use whichever kind of rum you like the style of—darkish, spiced, coconut…
- Don’t let the rum balls sit for too lengthy earlier than rolling them in your coatings. They’ll get too dry and the coating received’t stick as nicely.
- Do hold them out of attain of youngsters! They seem like chocolate truffles, particularly if coated in sprinkles.
- Don’t use a meals processor to mix the moist components with the dry. The combination rapidly turns into overprocessed, and overly moist and greasy. Switch the dry combination to a mixing bowl and use a silicone spatula to stir within the moist components by hand.
- Do chill them within the fridge for a day or so, for the perfect tasting rum balls.
- Don’t eat too many directly!
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is a part of my annual cookie countdown referred to as Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the largest, most scrumptious occasion of the yr! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza web page together with:
and listed below are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my finest success guides & ideas.
Festive & Straightforward Rum Balls
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 0 minutes
Complete Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (consists of refrigerating)
Yield: 30–36
Class: Dessert
Technique: Mixing
Delicacies: American
Description
Rum balls are a grownup-favorite festive deal with which can be straightforward to make and enjoyable to reward. These no-bake, boozy rum balls style even higher after a day or two within the fridge, so I like to recommend making them prematurely.
Directions
- Place the pecans and Biscoff cookies in a meals processor, and course of till finely floor into crumbs. Add confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, and pulse a couple of occasions till mixed.
- Switch the combination to a big bowl. (Don’t do that step within the meals processor.) Add the spiced rum, vanilla, and honey. Stir with a spatula till utterly mixed right into a moist dough. Let sit for 10 minutes to present the crumbs time to soak up the liquid. Throughout that point, place your coatings of alternative in small bowls, for rolling.
- Scoop a Tablespoon of the combination (about 20g) and roll right into a ball. Combination might be just a little moist, that’s okay. Roll the ball in coating and place on a lined baking sheet or tray. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Refrigerate the rum balls for no less than 2 hours and as much as 5 days. I strongly advocate no less than 1 day for finest style and texture. If refrigerating for longer than a couple of hours, cowl tightly.
- When serving, you possibly can place the rum balls in mini baking cups to maintain any free coatings from getting too messy.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: These rum balls style even higher after a pair days within the fridge! To freeze: Place them in a freezer-friendly container or zip-top bag, and freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper Sheets | Mini Baking Cups
- Nut-Free: For a nut-free model, I like to recommend skipping the pecans and including 12-14 extra Biscoff cookies (or about 90g).
- Different Nuts: Be at liberty to exchange the pecans with walnuts. I’ve not examined different nuts on this recipe, so let me know in case you do!
- Substituting Nilla Wafers for Biscoff: If you happen to’d choose to make use of Nilla Wafers as an alternative of Biscoff, use one 11-ounce (311g) field to yield about 3 cups of crumbs. Bear in mind the rum balls will not be dairy- and egg-free if utilizing Nilla Wafers.
- Cocoa Powder: You should utilize both unsweetened pure or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like to recommend utilizing a high-quality cocoa powder for finest style. I used high-quality Guittard model dutched cocoa powder. This isn’t sponsored in any respect, however we actually observed a distinction when utilizing the high-quality stuff. See what your grocery retailer carries, and choose a better high quality product in case you can.
- Rum: I really like these with spiced rum, particularly across the holidays, however you could possibly additionally use darkish rum and even coconut rum, whichever is your choice. I normally use Bicardi spiced rum.
- Non-Alcoholic Model: You possibly can exchange the rum with half orange juice and half apple juice/cider (1/4 cup/60ml every), however clearly the style will change. Or I like to recommend making these no-bake chocolate coconut snowballs as an alternative!
- COATINGS: For coatings, 1 cup (100g-130g) is normally sufficient for the entire batch of rum balls. Choices for coatings embody desiccated unsweetened coconut, finely chopped pecans/nuts, sprinkles, Biscoff cookie crumbs, confectioners’ sugar (the balls keep just a little sticky when utilizing confectioners’ sugar), or unsweetened cocoa powder (82g). You may as well do a couple of totally different coatings in 1 batch, just like the pictured rum balls. Use a smaller quantity of every coating, equivalent to 1/4 cup.