Every year since I can remember, my mom has made this rum ball recipe as a Christmas tradition. She has actually been known as the rum ball lady, passing them out at the high school where she substitute teaches and to the parents of my brother’s ski racing team years ago. It is a tradition that I brought into my own little family, making them each year since my husband and I were married. That is a long time… 25 years this summer!
This is one recipe that has hardly changed. It started out with minimal animal products and the only way I modified the recipe was to substitute the agave syrup for the corn syrup (GMO) and I omitted the chocolate sprinkles as they had milk products in them. It is certainly not a “healthy” dessert, but hey, it’s Christmas and we look forward to them every year! My girls go crazy for them. Sometimes it is hard to find the wafers but they seem to always be at Safeway.
These rum balls only have 6 ingredients and can be made in under half an hour. They can be a bit of a sticky mess when rolling between your hands and you have to stop about every 6 balls or so to get the goop off of your hands. It’s a terrible dilemma, sticky sweet rum ball mixture on your fingers to lick off, or not? Of course you need to wash your hands with soap and water very thoroughly in between. The mixture won’t stick to your freshly washed fingers for a few rolls and then it just begins again. Really, it’s like you are taking one for the team. 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 - 200 gram packs of chocolate wafers (long skinny box- Mr. Christie)
- 1 cup ground pecans
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 cup agave or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 cup dark rum
Instructions
- Grind wafers and pecans in a food processor until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and process on high until smooth.
- Let sit for 10 minutes in the fridge.
- Roll into balls and place in tiny muffin cups. Work quickly washing hands often to prevent the stickiness.
- For extra effect, you can roll in cocoa powder or icing sugar. I prefer them plain.
- Freeze or refrigerate immediately.
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