Indulge in the simplicity of this easy rum balls recipe, a perfect blend of cocoa, rum, and nuts for a festive treat. These hassle-free sweets are ideal for holiday cheer, especially at Christmas, and offer a joyous and delicious addition to any celebration.
This recipe is part of my collection of Desserts, where you can find more holiday treats, like these 39 Easy Fudge Recipes For Christmas, these Easy Chocolate Truffles, or these Homemade Raffaello Coconut Almond Confections. These homemade treats are all delicious and make a great holiday dessert tray for any party.
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What Are Rum Balls
Rum balls, a no-bake dessert originating from Europe, are a festive treat popular in countries like Australia, Canada, the U.S., and Latin America. These sweets are made by mixing crushed cookies or cake with cocoa powder and rum, bound together with ingredients like sweetened condensed milk, light corn syrup, or butter.
They are often enhanced with nuts, coconut, or dried fruits. The mixture is rolled into golf ball-sized servings and coated in cocoa powder, sugar, or toppings like nuts and chocolate shavings. The rum you use shapes the flavor of the rum balls. Dark or spiced rum adds a rich taste, while white rum makes them lighter in flavor.
Easy to make with readily available ingredients, rum balls are a beloved holiday delicacy, a fun treat enjoyed with coffee or tea, and evoke nostalgic memories for many.
Related: Check out my Turkish Coffee Recipe.
📝 Ingredients you need
Here's a look at the main ingredients for these rum balls, but you will find the full list and quantities of each in the recipe card.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: These are the sweet, crunchy base for the rum balls. For variations, consider using crushed vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, digestive biscuits, butter cookies, chocolate wafers, or leftover cake.
- Unsalted Butter: Used as a binding agent. While traditional recipes may use sweetened condensed milk, butter enhances the dessert's taste, making it rich and delicious.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the mixture. Fine granulated sugar can be used if sifted.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Gives a deep chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed cocoa (affiliate link) can be used for a smoother taste. (my favorite)
- Heavy Cream: Essential for binding the rum balls mixture together with the butter.
- Rum: A key ingredient that gives these rum balls their distinctive holiday flavor. You can choose any type you prefer: dark rum, spiced, white, gold, or coconut flavored, depending on your budget and taste preferences. For a non-alcoholic version suitable for children or those avoiding alcohol, rum or vanilla extract is an excellent alternative. Bourbon is also a suitable substitute.
- Roasted Chopped Walnuts: Add texture. Pecans or almonds are good alternatives.
- Granulated Sugar for Coating: Gives a sweet outer layer. Alternatives include coconut flakes, chocolate sprinkles, shaved chocolate, colored sprinkles, unsweetened cocoa powder, or powdered sugar.
- Optional: Cherries in Syrup: Add a sweet, fruity note. They can be omitted or replaced with other dried fruits like raisins or cranberries.
👩🍳 How to make rum balls
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) for roasting the nuts. Roast walnuts on a tray for 8 minutes until fragrant and light brown, or use a skillet, stirring until aromatic. Let them cool, then finely chop. Place them in a large bowl for the next step.
- Step 2: Crumble the Cookies. Process your chosen cookies (such as graham crackers or vanilla wafer cookies) using a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Combine these crumbs with the previously prepared nuts in the large bowl. If a food processor is unavailable, place the cookies in a bag and crush them to a fine consistency using a rolling pin or a bottle.
- Step 3: Prepare the Binding Syrup. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, combine butter, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cocoa in a small saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil, being careful not to let it simmer. Once it reaches boiling point, remove the pot from the stove and let it cool to room temperature. After it has cooled, stir in the rum or rum extract.
- Step 4: Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients. Carefully pour the cooled wet mixture over the bowl of dry ingredients, which includes your nuts and cookie crumbs. Stir the mixture thoroughly to ensure all ingredients are well combined. If you find the mixture too soft, refrigerate it for about 30 minutes to firm it up before proceeding to the next step.
- Step 5: Shape and Decorate the Rum Balls. Use your hands or a small cookie scoop to shape the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in one or more of the following for decoration: granulated sugar, coconut flakes, chocolate sprinkles, shaved chocolate, colored sprinkles, powdered sugar (or confectioners' sugar), or unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix and match these toppings to create festive, eye-catching rum balls perfect for your dessert table.
Note: If you opt for powdered sugar or cocoa powder, you might need to reroll the rum balls before serving, as they can absorb moisture while refrigerated.
- Step 6. Refrigerate. After shaping the rum balls, place them on a baking sheet to chill in the refrigerator overnight so they hold their shape. For space efficiency or longer storage, transfer the chilled rum balls into an airtight container, using parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
Optional: For an added surprise, insert a pitted cherry from syrup, a maraschino cherry, or an almond into the center of each ball before rolling them in your chosen toppings.
💡 Expert Tip
To ensure the rum or rum extract retains its full flavor, avoid adding it to the cream while it's being heated. The alcohol will evaporate if heated. Instead, wait for the mixture to cool to room temperature before incorporating the rum or extract. This step helps preserve the intended taste and aroma of the rum in your rum balls.
🍽️ How To Serve Homemade Rum Balls
I like to arrange these rum balls on a platter or in mini cupcake liners for a nice, finished look. They’re a great dessert for parties, and I love pairing them with coffee, tea, or dessert wine.
During the holidays, especially at Christmas, they’re perfect on my holiday cookie platter. I also enjoy gifting them to friends and family for a sweet surprise.
If I use rum extract, everyone can enjoy them, but if I go with real rum, I keep them away from kids.
❄️ How To Store Rum Balls
- Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks. They may develop richer flavors after a few days.
- Freezer: Freeze on a parchment-lined sheet until solid, then move to a container or freezer bag. They last up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
- Room Temperature: Suitable for a few days, but refrigeration is recommended to maintain shape and freshness due to the heavy cream content.
🙋♀️ Recipe Faqs
Absolutely, preparing them in advance is perfect, particularly for having them ready to enjoy during Christmas time. Their flavors tend to meld and enhance when allowed to sit, making them even more delicious the next day.
This could be due to the mixture being too dry. Try adding a little more heavy cream or melted butter for better consistency.
It's unlikely, as the alcohol content is generally low, and much of the alcohol can evaporate during the process. However, consumption in large quantities could have some effect.
Rum balls are believed to have originated in Europe, particularly in Denmark and Germany, where they are traditional Christmas treats.
More delicious recipes
📖 Recipe
Easy Rum Balls Recipe (No Bake)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups graham crackers crumbs
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons rum or 1 Tablespoon rum flavor
- ⅔ cup roasted chopped walnuts
- granulated sugar to toss the rum balls OR coconut flakes
- Optional: cherries in syrup
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set to 350°F (180°C).
- Roast Nuts: Spread walnuts on a baking tray and roast for about 8 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool.
- Chop Nuts: Finely chop the nuts with a knife or in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Crumble Cookies: Process graham crackers into fine crumbs. If there is no food processor, crush the cookies in a bag with a rolling pin or bottle.
- Combine Crumbs with Nuts: Mix graham cracker crumbs with chopped nuts.
- Make Syrup: In a pot, combine butter, heavy cream, sugar, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, then cool. Do not boil.
- Add Rum: Stir in rum or rum flavor into the cooled mixture.
- Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour syrup over the nut and crumb mixture. Mix well.
- Chill if Needed: If the mixture is soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Form Rum Balls: Use your hands or a small cookie scoop to shape the mixture into 1-inch balls. Coat with granulated sugar, coconut flakes, or chocolate sprinkles.
- Refrigerate: Arrange the rum balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight. For longer storage or to save space, transfer chilled rum balls into an airtight container, using parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
- Optional Filling: Insert a cherry or almond into each ball before coating.
- Serving: Serve rum balls cold.
Notes
- Graham crackers
- Crushed vanilla wafers
- Shortbread cookies
- Digestive biscuits
- Chocolate wafers
- Leftover cake
- Granulated sugar
- Coconut flakes
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Shaved chocolate
- Colored sprinkles
- Powder sugar
ELIZABETH A HUCEK says
I'm making this recipe now for my 98 year old Mother in Law. she's Hungarian and I think she would really like them, but I'm having a difficult time incorporating the ingredients. The butter keeps oozing out.
I've had it in the refrigerator for an hour now and will continue to mix.
I was wondering if you meant a half cup butter instead of a cup.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi Elizabeth,
I checked the recipe again and it is correct. 11 oz of crackers mean roughly about 4 generous cups of ground crackers. You add 1 3/4 cups powder sugar, 2/3 cup walnuts. There is also a cup of cocoa powder added to the heavy cream and butter. If you feel like the mixture is too soft to make the balls, add more crushed crackers to absorb the extra moisture. Add them spoon by spoon until you get the right consistency. Make sure you don't add too much at once. However, the butter gets harder in the refrigerator and the crackers will absorb the moisture. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions.
Amanda says
Is it possible to use salted butter?
The Bossy Kitchen says
I never used salted butter in the recipe, so I would not know what to tell you about the final taste of the rum balls. A cup of butter that is used as a binder for the rest of ingredients is enough to change the taste of the dessert. You can experiment and make a very small batch for yourself to see if you like the rum balls saltier and let me know what you think.
Mary-Anne says
Can I add more rum?
The Bossy Kitchen says
Of course, just make sure you don't add too much and make them too wet. :-)) Happy holidays!
Becca says
@Mary-Anne, I added 1 cup of rum an then added more graham crackers an pecans until I got the desired consistency!
Sarah says
Thanks for the recipe! How long would these last not refrigerated, just sealed in a container? Thank you!
The Bossy Kitchen says
You should refrigerate them, as they have butter and heavy cream in them. They are not meant to be shipped, for example, but if you travel for just a few hours in a car, for example, and keep them in a cool place, they should be fine. Would that answer your question?
Sarah Ann Omicioli says
@The Bossy Kitchen, Yes that makes sense! I made them last night. They have a wonderful fudgy flavor - taste great. I like that this recipe doesn't use corn syrup too.
Debbi Meredith says
Can I use artificial brandy flavouring instead of rum in this recipe?
The Bossy Kitchen says
Yes, you can find this information inside the article and also under the ingredients on the recipe card.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Oh, I am sorry, I misread your question. The answer is yes, you can use whatever flavor you want, but you will miss that specific rum flavor that this dessert is famous for. However, I never tried the recipe with brandy flavoring, but I don't see why it would not work. If you make them, let me know, you made me curious. 🙂 Happy holidays!
Susan says
I'm wanting to make this recipe using cake. How do I measure the amount that I need? Would it still be 4 cups?
Thanks
The Bossy Kitchen says
Good question. If you look at the bottom of the ingredients list, you will see that you can switch between the US customary to the metric system, where you have the ingredients in grams, so you can use a scale, to measure the cake.
I think that if you use cake (which is probably moister and absorbs less liquid) instead of crackers, you might have to use more cake, so you can keep the balance between dry and wet ingredients. Graham crackers are dry, so they will absorb the amount of butter and heavy cream mixture, but the cake has a different texture, and it needs less liquid.
Another option would be to use the same amount of cake(measured in grams) but less liquid. Add the liquid slowly and use your own judgment when to stop, as it all depends on how dry the cake is. The whole thing is to make sure that you do not end up with a soupy mixture. In that case, add more cake to balance it.
Let me know how it went and thank you for writing.
Gay Esposito says
Can you freeze them?
Gabriela says
Yes, you can. I just updated the article with storage instructions and other tips.
Sharon Skinner says
When I began the sauce I followed directions using the correct ingredients but the butter and other ingredients did not combine, separating and wouldn't mix with the chocolate. Is there a way to salvage the process? I poured the butter off and there is a large soft lump of chocolate mixture.
Gabriela says
I am not sure what happened and I need more details. You have to mix butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder and sugar together and bring them to a boil. You are not supposed to boil the mixture, just to bring it to the point of simmering, then remove it from the heat. You should have a thick concoction. Are you sure you added the heavy cream? Did you measure the ingredients correctly? Please give me more details, so we can troubleshoot it. It sounds to me that there is no heavy cream in that mixture, but I might be wrong.
Karen Brown says
Sounds like Shannon didn't mix ingredients well when adding them. When adding butter and sugar you mix them together well until blended. Then stir other ingredients together. Mixing well until blended. Just not stirring them.
In the beginning of my cooking experience, I sometimes was in a hurry and didn't mix well enough.