Let's talk about rum balls for a minute. I would be willing to bet that most of you haven't had a rum ball in a good long time. And that's incredibly sad. For some strange reason, these tasty little vehicles for rum and chocolate consumption aren't as popular as they used to be and if I can be the catalyst for just one change in your lives, I'd be happy if it had something to do with rum balls. It might be a bizarre aspiration, but I stand by it.
In my post about the holiday soirées I threw this season, I mentioned that I made rum balls. I would be remiss if I didn't share the recipe here since they are amazing and were a HUGE hit! And as an added bonus, they're incredibly easy to make!
This is my mom's recipe and is probably from the '70's which itself is vintage. Perfect! Although I try to focus on eating clean, after a few of these, you won't care in the slightest that they don't fall into that category!
Rum Balls are a holiday treat that many sources credit Germany for. I'll buy that. There are many variations, but as long as you've got some cocoa and rum involved and don't bake them, they count. Without baking them, the alcohol doesn't dissipate, meaning they're way more fun than most desserts! This recipe calls for the balls to be rolled in granulated sugar after forming which Wikipedia tells me is a Hungarian tradition. Salivating after these multicultural boozy treats yet? Well, then without further ado...
INGREDIENTS:
-2 1/2 cups pulverized vanilla wafers (essentially a regular sized box)
-1 cup pulverized walnuts
-1 cup confectioner's sugar
-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
-3 tablespoons light corn syrup
-1/3 cup rum or bourbon
-Granulated sugar for rolling
1. Pulverize your vanilla wafers and walnuts and combine in a medium sized bowl.
2. Using a sieve, add the confectioner's sugar and the cocoa and mix well.
3. Add the corn syrup and the rum or bourbon and mix well. (I needed to add additional rum - TERRIBLE turn of events, I know!) Add sparingly as you don't want the mixture too wet.
4. Form into 1" balls. Mine were slightly smaller - ball size comes down to personal preference... Ummmm....sorry, there's no better way to word that!
5. Roll in granulated sugar.
I ended up with 70 Rum Balls after sampling a few. I'm big on Quality Control.
5. Refrigerate in an airtight container. While they are delicious, the balls are even better after a few days when the flavors really start to marry.While I've only made these twice, I'd say you probably want to make them with a buddy. They are incredibly easy to make (though I think the recipe is one you might want to play with a little bit to get it just how you like it), but the forming of the balls themselves can be somewhat time consuming - especially if you happen to have OCD and want them all uniform like I did. Admittedly, this could be a personal problem.
I made these tonight for a New Year's Eve party a friend of mine is throwing tomorrow. In retrospect, I should have made them over the weekend and also made a double batch...I have the sinking suspicion that these aren't going to last very long. I hope you all have a fabulous time ringing in the new year with some fabulous people and equally fabulous treats (if that's possible)!
Until next year, my Lovelies!!
XOXO!!
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