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Hi Bold Bakers!
If you’ve never had classic Classic Rum Balls before, get ready. These one-bite balls are one of my favorite holiday treats, as the flavors are everything Christmas, and they are so simple to make — so all of your holiday entertaining becomes just that much easier.
Made with ground pecan, cookie crumbs, and of course rum, the flavor of these little balls are classic for a reason! My recipe is based on the original from the 50s, but is turned up with great quality ingredients and a few extra tips that bring out all that nutty flavor.
How to make vanilla wafer crumbs
The base of these Classic Rum Ball Cookies is a fine powder of vanilla wafer that has been crushed. I like to grind my cookies into crumbs in the food processor, but you can do this by hand. These cookie crumbs are dry and sweet with just a hint of vanilla. They compliment the flavor of the toasted pecans and lovely rum perfectly.
How to toast and chop pecans for Rum Balls
Classic Rum Ball Cookies aren’t complete without toasted pecans and rum. I know it’s one extra step, but it’s super important to toast the pecans before adding them into the balls, as this really brings out the buttery quality of the nuts.
To toast the nuts, I roast them dry in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 10 minutes. After roasting, I roughly chop in the food processor like I do the cookie crumbs, but you can do this by hand with a large sharp knife.
What if i don’t like pecans?
It’s okay if you don’t like pecans, or are allergic to them because you can replace them with almond meal, ground walnuts, or ground cashews. Pecans go really well with rum, though, so try it with pecans if you can!
What if I don’t want to use alcohol?
While the rum is what makes these Classic Rum Ball Cookies, I always like giving you Bold Bakers the option to make my recipes without alcohol. If you don’t want to use rum, feel free to substitute it with a fruit juice of your choice, perhaps orange, apple, or cranberry juice. That said, it will alter the overall flavor, and will turn into just Cookie Balls — still delicious, though!
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No-Bake Classic Rum Ball Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (3oz/85g) vanilla wafers*, ground into crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2oz/213g) pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1 cup (4oz/115g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons rum, orange or cranberry juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the cookie crumbs, 1 cup (5oz/142g) pecans (preferably toasted), powdered sugar, cocoa, maple syrup, and rum.
- Mix until a sticky dough forms. At this point chill the cookie mixture for about 2 hours.
- Once chilled, scoop the cookie mixture into balls. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop a level tablespoon of the mix then roll into a ball. Repeat the process until all of the balls are rolled.
- Once all of the balls have been rolled coat each one in the remaining 1/2 cup (2 ½oz/71g) pecans.
- Cover and store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Hi. I loved all these recipes and really want to try them this holiday. I have a question about the Rum balls. Can I use spiced rum to replace the plain rum in the recipe? Will it go with the cocoa?
This has been a family tradition forever, but now I’m faced with a niece who eats gluten free. Any suggestions to adapt?
Hi Gemma,
I tried them today and I didn’t get a dough form! They fall apart if I hold it in my hand! I added more maple and put them in the fridge but nothing has changed, I can’t roll them and don’t want to add more maple because it’s getting too sweet for me. Where did I go wrong? And how can I fix them?
I followed the exact recipe.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Gemma, thinking of making this recipe for the holidays. Can you make them before hand? How can I store them to make sure they remain fresh?
I just made these Rum Balls, and they were very well-liked by everybody!
Hi, wanting to make these at the weekend but we really don’t like nuts, what could u substitute, would coconut be okay?
Do share the Rumballs recipe – the one where they are baked..
Do you have a recipe for boozy brownies
Just going to make these, but I’m always confused in recipes that involve cookie crumbs. Is it one cup of cookies, or one cup of crumbs. There is a difference. Thanks!
Yes, a bit crumbly, I had to add extra maple syrup and rum to get the right consistency. I remember my Mother making these for our Christmas Eve parties. Loved them and hope these turn out as I remember them.
Hi, would love to make these, but would imitation rum extract work? Really want the rum flavor but not the alcohol.