Rum Balls are a classic Christmas dessert! These boozy balls of chocolate are filled with dark rum flavor and a crunchy chocolate filling!
And we do love our boozy desserts…check out these Limoncello Lemon Bars that are bursting with sweet and tangy fresh lemon flavor, and our Bourbon Iced Molasses Cookies with real bourbon in the icing!
A Festive Holiday Dessert Recipe
The holiday season is definitely the time of year to break out all the tasty, festive, boozy treats. These Rum Balls with powdered sugar and sprinkles are the prefect addition to your cookie platter or dessert table!
And let me tell you guys, you can actually taste the rum in this festive dessert. So if rum isn’t your thing you can swap out whatever is your thing, like we did here with these Bourbon Chocolate Balls.
But if rum is your thing, which I’m thinking it is since you’ve landed here, let me just ask you to use a good quality rum for this recipe. There is a decent rum flavor in these little treats so if you’re using something that you don’t like drinking then you aren’t going to like them.
Do Rum Balls Have Alcohol In Them?
So YES. As we’ve just discussed, there is actual alcohol (in this case dark rum) in rum balls. Maybe you’ve come across another recipe that uses a rum extract instead of actual rum?
Well those aren’t the real deal my friends so pass that recipe right on by.
A lot of people ask if it’s ok for kids to eat rum balls and my answer is yes. Because they probably aren’t going to like them so go ahead and let them have one. There is a half of a cup of rum in this recipe that’s going to be divided between about 36 balls, so the actual amount in each of these is really very little.
Obviously, it’s your call as a parent, but as far as the adults are concerned…make sure you have enough to go around.
How To Make Rum Balls
Rum balls are super easy to make. Just grab yourself a decent bottle of dark rum, pour a little for yourself and let’s get rolling!
- Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl until smooth.
- Add corn syrup, rum and vanilla extract and stir. Slowly pour in powdered sugar, while stirring, until all the sugar in combined into the chocolate.
- Add crushed vanilla wafers and finely chopped pecans to the chocolate mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined.
- Chill the mixture for 20 minutes and then roll into balls a little smaller than a golf ball. Roll in sprinkles or powdered sugar and repeat.
- Chill for at least an hour or up to 2 days before serving.
How Long Do Rum Balls Keep?
These boozy balls will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, if they last that long! These are a pretty sturdy dessert, so they are perfect for making ahead of time or stashing leftovers after your party.
The flavor does mellow out a bit after making them, so if you don’t want a really strong rum flavor you can make them a day or two ahead of time.
Looking For More Christmas Desserts?
- Polish Cream Cheese Cookies
- Iced Bourbon Molasses Cookies
- Champagne Jell-O Shots
- Cinnamon Roll Pie
- Eggnog Cookie Bars
Rum Balls
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 36 rum balls 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeFestive and boozy Rum Balls are a Christmas tradition! Real dark rum is a must when making this classic dessert…and these are boozy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup good quality dark rum
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 box vanilla wafers (11 ounces), crushed into small crumbs
- 1 cup pecans, chopped fine
- Sprinkles and/or powdered sugar for decorating the balls
Instructions
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Keep heating until the chocolate is completely smooth.
- Pour the corn syrup, rum and vanilla extract into the chocolate and stir to combine.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, stirring until all the sugar is combined with the chocolate sauce. Add the crushed vanilla wafers and the chopped pecans and stir.
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scooper (a little smaller than a golf ball), make balls and roll into either sprinkles or powdered sugar.
- Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture until you have about 30 rum balls. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe Notes
Makes about 30 rum balls. To crush the vanilla wafers, add the cookies to a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush the cookies. Alternately, you can pulse them in a food processor.
These rum balls will keep in an airtight container for about a week in the refrigerator.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: rum balls, dessert recipes, christmas desserts, holiday recipes, chocolate desserts, make ahead recipes, no bake dessert, homemade gift ideas
