Rum Balls

A boozy, sweet treat for the holidays!

1 hour

Easy

These rum balls are a classic way to make the chocolatey and boozy holiday treat.

Grandma Jackie’s Rum Balls were one of my favorite things to find on the Christmas Cookie trays when I was little. And they still are today! Grandma had stopped making them years ago so finding this recipe and giving it a try was a real treat. As soon as I took my first bite I was instantly transported to the Christmases of my childhood. What’s better than that?

There are a ton of Rum Ball recipe out there and they have all sorts of variations. This one of course is the best. 😉 It’s a bit more complicated than most, but still very easy to do. It’s a bit messy and has booze of course, so this isn’t a great one to make with the kids.

The most important thing with this recipe is to make sure the butter is room temperature. Set it out on the counter at least 30 minutes before you plan to make the recipe. Or longer if possible. Butter is fine to sit out for quite a while so even put it out the day before you plan assemble if you can.

I would’t fuss with the recipe much, as the mixture needs the right amount of fat and sugar to set right. However, you can really make the Rum Balls your own in the way you decorate them. Grandma would very often use chocolate sprinkles or ground pecans. Both of those are classic choices and delicious. I had a bunch of sugar sprinkles on hand so I used those and I think they came out pretty festive!

I hope you give this recipe for Rum Balls a try and if you do, please let me know what you think in the comments. Or, share a picture with me on Instagram (@bdhbakes). I hope these become a part of your Christmas tradition, too!

Steps:

Melt Chocolate
Put the 12 ounces of chocolate in a small or medium sized bowl, and then slowly heat it in the microwave. Start with about 30 seconds, take out the bowl and give it a few stirs. Continue microwaving the chocolate in 15 second bursts, stirring between each time. You'll want the chocolate to ALMOST be totally melted, with still some chunks of the chips visible, and then just stir it until it melts all the way and is completely smooth. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Err on the side of under melted, stirring it to get the rest of the way there.
Separate Egg Yolks and Stir
Crack your eggs, separating the egg whites and yolks. Save the egg whites for another use (maybe holiday kisses?) and place the egg yolks in your mixing bowl. Give the egg yolks a quick stir to break them up and combine.
Add Sugar
Add the 1 1/2 Cups of the powdered sugar a half cup at a time and stir (slowly) between each addition so that all of the powdered sugar is incorporated into the egg yolks.
Add Butter
Very important - make sure your butter is ROOM TEMPERATURE. If it's not, put your egg yolk mixture in the fridge and leave your butter out on the counter for at least 30 minutes then proceed. Add the cup of butter a bit at a time. Drop about 3-4 Tablespoons into the mixing bowl and mix well until all the butter is incorporated. Repeat until all of the butter is added and the mixture is smooth.
Add Rum, Vanilla and Coffee
In a small liquid measuring cup with a spout - or a small bowl - dissolve the instant coffee in the rum and then add the vanilla. Mix well to combine. Add this rum mixture to the egg yolk mixture and mix well. Start mixing SLOWLY as the rum will not incorporate very easily as first. Just start mixing slowly and gradually increase the speed until the everything is all mixed in and the mixture is smooth.
Add Chocolate
It's now time to add the melted chocolate. Scrape all the melted chocolate into the big mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
Chill
Chill the rum ball mixture in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Roll the Balls
Once the mixture has chilled in the fridge and is solid to the touch, it's time to roll the balls. Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it in your hands into a ball shape. Then, roll the rum ball in whatever you plan to decorate it with: sprinkles, sugar, ground pecans, etc.