Rum Balls Recipe

Rum Balls are a fun holiday treat made with a blend of crushed wafers, a dusting of cocoa powder, pecans, and spiced alcohol, all decorated with sprinkles. A beautiful dessert for sharing and for giving away as gifts!

The holidays are more fun with a few boozy treats and delicious cocktails. Make sure you have Christmas Punch, Orange Cranberry Sangria, and White Christmas Mag[aritas at the table this year!

No-Bake Rum Balls

Rum Balls are delightful Christmas treats. They’re delicious, chocolatey, and have a subtle hint of warm alcohol. It’s bite after blissful bite! Aside from being yummy, they also look festive lined up on a plate or boxed up for gift giving. Get creative by using sprinkles with different colors to go with your holiday theme.

This is one of my go-to holiday dessert recipes because I don’t have to bake it, which means I can use the oven for other dishes. You can also make it ahead – in fact, I highly recommend it – so that’s one thing off your Christmas to-do list. Spread holiday cheer with these sweet and yummy no-bake goodies!

What are rum balls?

They’re a lot like truffles. These are sweet, a little chewy, and soft. Traditionally, they contain alcohol and usually served during the holidays.

Rum balls ingredients:

• Vanilla wafers: Grind them as finely as you can.
• Pecans: Contributes texture, density, and a nice nutty flavor. They need to be crumbled, but I like leaving in a few chunks for crunch.
• Powdered sugar and a drizzle of corn syrup: Help everything stick together and adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Cocoa powder: Infuses these treats with a deep chocolatey flavor.
• Rum: I love the fruity, cinnamon notes of the spiced variety.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances all the other flavors!
• Water: Just a little bit of water so you can shape each piece easily.
• Sprinkles: For decoration.

How to make the best rum balls?

1. Combine. Mix the cocoa, sugar, ground nuts, and crushed cookies.
2. Whisk. Blend the vanilla, syrup, alcohol, and water together.
3. Form the balls. Mix the booze mixture with the cookie mix. Blend well, then roll. Space them out on a flat surface so they don’t stick together.
4. Decorate. Roll each one in sprinkles and enjoy!

Can rum balls get you drunk?

The flavor of rum really shines in this dessert. But keep in mind that we only use ¼ cup of alcohol for this recipe which yields around 32 pieces. So that means eating one ball won’t have enough booze to get you drunk.

However, the alcohol in this dish is not cooked away, so it’s possible to feel a bit of a kick if you eat a lot. Either way, this is definitely an adults-only dessert.

What is the best rum to use in rum balls?

Spiced, hands down! I like dark or gold because they’re more flavorful. Though, you don’t have to use the fancy stuff for this recipe. A good-quality one which you’ll happily drink will do.

What can I use instead of rum?

Whiskey or bourbon are excellent alternatives. You can also leave the alcohol out altogether to make them kid-friendly. Instead of the booze, you can replace it with fruit juice.

How to store and freeze rum balls?

Much like fruit cake, these boozy treats taste even better when the flavors have time to meld, so feel free to keep in your refrigerator for two weeks. To store, place them in a tightly-sealed container. You can also place the container in the freezer, and keep them frozen for about 2 months.

More delicious desserts:

• Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
• Snickerdoodle Muffins
• Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
• Puppy Chow
• Easy Chocolate Mint Mousse

Recipe tips:

• You can place them in cupcake liners to help keep them apart.
• Aside from sprinkles, you can also use extra confectioner’s sugar, more crushed nuts, coconut flakes, or cocoa to coat.
• If you want balls that have a stronger punch, use booze with a higher alcohol content.
• Lend more flavor to these indulgent treats by toasting the nuts first.
• You can use other chocolate wafers and other cookies.
• Let them sit for a minimum of two days for best flavor!
• Use a cookie scoop for even-sized balls.
• Make them gluten-free by using GF cookies and GF alcohol.

5 from 5 votes

Print

Rum Balls

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

RumBalls are a fun holiday treat made with a blend of crushed wafers, adusting of cocoa powder, pecans, and spiced alcohol, all decoratedwith sprinkles.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Rum Balls

Servings: 32 pieces

Calories: 92 kcal

Author: Marionela Tiron

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups ground vanilla wafers 75 cookies
• 1 1/4 cup ground pecans or walnuts
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus more for rolling
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder plus more for rolling
• ¼ cup spiced rum or cognac
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup or honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sprinkles or coconut flakes for rolling

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the dry ingredients, in another medium bowl the wet ingredients.
2. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until fully combined.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Roll 1 tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture between your hands and roll the rum balls in your choice of coconut flakes, cocoa powder, or sprinkles. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Rum Balls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 92 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 1mg0%

Sodium 36mg2%

Potassium 32mg1%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 2IU0%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.