Rum Balls — So Easy, So Pretty, So Delicious

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rum balls in gift box

It’s December 23rd. I’ll keep this brief. Rum balls are delicious. They are perfect for a crowd. They are perfect as a gift. They are perfect little bites of boozy goodness. I can’t think of a more perfect treat to have on hand this time of year.

What’s more, the batter takes all of about 5 minutes to whip up (if you have a food processor) and shaping, about 20 minutes more. I’m certainly not trying to make more work for you, but if you’re still on the prowl for one more treat to add to your dessert spread or if you need a last-minute host/hostess gift or if you just plain forgot to make rum balls this year, there’s still time. Get busy. You won’t be sorry you did.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Also, just a reminder, if you’re interested in winning Food52′s Holiday Recipe and Survival Guide iPad app and haven’t yet left a comment offering your entertaining advice, do so here.

rum balls

Feeding rum balls to small children is probably not advisable. Ella, however, was never happier:
Ella, sneaking a rum ball

Rum Balls
Yield = 40

3+ cups vanilla wafers (I ended up using a whole box (12 oz))
1+ cups confectioners sugar (plus more for rolling)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons white corn syrup
2/3 cup rum

1. Place vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. There might be a few large pieces that don’t catch the blade at this step, but they’ll eventually end up getting pulverized, so don’t worry. (Alternatively, place vanilla wafers into a Ziploc bag and bash them with a rolling pin until they are fine pieces).

2. Add confectioners sugar, cocoa and corn syrup and pulse till combined. At this step, you could do one of two things:

A. Add all of the rum and pulse, which will likely leave you with a mixture that is too wet to form into balls, and which will require you to add more vanilla wafers and perhaps more confectioners sugar. This is what I did, and I ended up correcting the texture by adding all of the remaining vanilla wafers from the box as well as a 1/4 cup more confectioners sugar.

or B. Slowly add the rum to the food processor until the mixture comes together and you are able to form small little balls using a teaspoon. This is what I’ll do the next time I make them.

3. Using a teaspoon (I used a measuring spoon teaspoon), scoop out balls from the processor, roll them gently with your hands into irregular shaped balls, and drop them into a plate (or shallow tupperware) filled with a thin layer of powdered sugar. Shake the vessel to coat the balls, then transfer balls to storage container until you are ready to serve them. I store mine in the fridge — not sure this is necessary, but I like the texture the rum balls get once they are chilled a bit.

Notes: When I first began forming the balls, I used a mini scoop — it’s one that I find perfect for making truffles. It was not working so perfectly with this dough, which is a little stickier than truffle dough (batter? whatever you want to call it). If you have one of these scoops, you could try using it, but I had better luck just using a teaspoon.

rum balls

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