This chocolate rum balls recipe makes decadent candy-like confections that are easy to whip up in just 20 minutes with vanilla wafers, sweetened condensed milk, and a couple other ingredients. You can make them with rum or alcohol-free. They’re the perfect treat for holiday parties and Christmas cookie trays, and they make a beautiful homemade gift for friends and family.
Add the vanilla wafers to a food processor. Pulse a few times to break them up, and then process until it forms fine crumbs.
Add the cocoa powder, salt, sweetened condensed milk, rum, and vanilla, and process until well-combined.
Roll the mixture into slightly heaping 1-tablespoon-sized balls. (If the mixture is too sticky to roll, put plastic wrap directly on top and refrigerate to chill until it’s easier to work with, about 30 minutes.)
Roll the balls in any coatings you like. For best flavor, wait 2 days before serving.
Notes
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 30 rum balls; a serving is 1 ball.
Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the coating suggestions.
Storage: Rum balls don’t need to be stored in the fridge, but they need to be kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry area. If you store them at room temperature, they will last for about 1 week, and if you store them in the fridge, they will stay fresh for about 2 weeks.
How to Freeze Rum Balls: Traditional rum balls freeze well for up to 1 month. To freeze rum balls, stack them between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container. Let them thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before serving. You may want to re-roll them in the coatings after freezing.
How to Make Non Alcoholic Rum Balls: To make non-alcoholic rum balls that still have the classic chocolate rum flavor combination, omit the rum. Instead, add ½ tablespoon rum extract and 2 ½ tablespoons water. And if you prefer non-alcoholic rum balls that don’t taste like rum, you can use 3 tablespoons of water instead of the rum.