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Made with melted chocolate, Nilla wafers, and powdered sugar, these Rum Balls are a sweet, boozy, and chocolatey holiday favorite. Quick & easy to make, with no baking or cooking required!
These festive little chocolate balls are flavored with rum and coated in powdered sugar. They’re always the first thing gobbled up at any holiday party and I usually make a double batch!
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Fantastic! For allergy reasons I omitted the walnuts. These were easy to make and delicious.
Why This Is The Best Rum Balls Recipe
Here are a few reasons why I think this is the BEST rum balls recipe.
- Rich chocolate flavor. Some recipes just use cocoa powder but this one uses melted chocolate. I used dark chocolate for an even richer flavor but you can definitely make them with semi-sweet or even milk chocolate.
- No baking required. In fact, the only “cooking” (if you can call it that) is melting the chocolate in the microwave. Beyond that, you just need a bowl, a spoon, and a baking sheet. I love how quick and easy they are to make! (Just remember they need to chill for an hour.)
- Great for making ahead. Rum balls actually improve with flavor when they sit for a few days. The boozy flavor becomes a bit more mellow and the chocolate really stands out. So I definitely recommend making these a day or two in advance. (Or more, since you can freeze them!)
- Little boozy truffles. These rum balls are basically chocolate truffles for adults. They’re similar to my peanut butter balls, Oreo balls, and Oreo gingerbread truffles, just with a rum twist.
What You’ll Need
This easy no-bake recipe is made with just 7 ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Chocolate chips – I used dark chocolate because I think it pairs nicely with the other flavors but any chocolate chips will work.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the rum balls. Plus extra for rolling them.
- Corn syrup
- Dark rum – You don’t have to splurge on a top shelf rum for these, just use one you enjoy drinking.
- Kosher salt – Helps to balance out all of the flavors.
- Nilla wafers – Help give the balls substance and shape.
- Crushed walnuts – Add texture to the rum balls.
Variations
There are many different ways to customize your rum balls. Here are a few ideas.
- Try different chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and even white chocolate could be used instead of dark chocolate.
- Use your favorite rum. Dark rum has the richest flavor but spiced rum would give these cookies a hint of warm cinnamon spice. Coconut rum could also be used for a tropical twist.
- Try other cookies. Biscoff cookies made a great alternative to Nilla wafers and gingersnaps or Oreos would work too.
How To Make Rum Balls
Here’s an overview of how to make this festive dessert. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the printable version of the instructions.
- Melt the chocolate. Microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until the chips have fully melted.
- Combine the ingredients. Sift in 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar then stir in the corn syrup, rum, and salt. Stir until fully combined and smooth then add in the crushed wafers and walnuts. Stir until fully combined. It will look crumbly.
- Chill. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
- Form the balls. Form 1 inch balls with the mixture. Roll each one in a bowl of powdered sugar. Chill until serving.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making this recipe.
- Crush the walnuts finely. This helps to leave the balls with a smooth texture, but you still get all the flavors.
- For the adults only. These do have alcohol in them and since they’re not baked, it doesn’t cook off. Make sure to keep them away from the kids. These also will have a rum taste to them. You can adjust to your liking.
- Use good chocolate. The better the chocolate, the better these will taste and usually, the better the chocolate will melt. I’m a big fan of the Ghirardelli brand.
- Chill the mixture. This is an important step because it gives the chocolate time to cool. It’s hard to shape the balls when the chocolate is still melted as it doesn’t hold its shape very well.
- Make ahead. I think these chocolate rum balls taste better with time so I recommend making them at least a day in advance. This gives the flavors time to meld and they’ll taste less boozy and more chocolatey.
Coating Ideas
Powdered sugar is the go-to for these rum balls, just like in snowball cookies, but there are so many other options for coating them. Sometimes it’s fun to use a variety of toppings with each batch. I think it makes for a beautiful presentation! Here are a few ideas:
- Cocoa powder
- Sprinkles
- Shredded coconut
- Finely crushed nuts
- Cookie crumbs (like Biscoff or Nilla wafers)
- Melted chocolate (similar to Oreo balls)
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Rum balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You may want to put parchment paper between the layers to keep the coatings from rubbing off. If you rolled them in powdered sugar, I recommend rolling them again before serving as it can melt with the moisture of the fridge.
- Freezer. Flash freeze on a baking sheet until hard then transfer to an airtight container or ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
Other Christmas Treat Recipes
Rum Balls Recipe
Made with melted chocolate, Nilla wafers, and powdered sugar, these Rum Balls are a sweet, boozy, and chocolatey holiday favorite. Quick & easy to make, with no baking or cooking required!
Servings: 36 balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1/3 cups, divided
- 2 Tablespoon corn syrup
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups Nilla wafers (11 ounces), crushed
- 1 cup walnuts crushed
Instructions
- Place the chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate for 30-seconds at full power. Stir then continue cooking 30 seconds at a time stirring between each cook time until all the chips have fully melted.
- Sift 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar over the melted chocolate. Add in the corn syrup, rum and salt. Stir with a whisk until until fully combined and smooth.Add in the crushed wafers and the walnuts. Stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined. The mixture will look crumbly.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Place the remaining 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in a separate bowl and set aside. Form 1-inch balls with the chilled mixture using your hands. The mixture will be a bit crumbly and hard but will smooth out when rolling.Roll a rum ball in the powdered sugar and repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Serving: 36g | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
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13 comments on “Best Rum Balls Recipe”
Can you freeze these?
Hi JAG. Yes, these rum balls will freeze well in an airtight container for up to a month.
My grandmother had a super similar recipe from the Chicago Daily News in the 50s. It calls for cocoa powder and pecans vs melted chocolate and walnuts. We like to use jack daniels for fun, and think it’s better than rum, tho we still refer to them as rum balls. Such a versatile recipe!
Those sound great too Betsy!
Love this recipe. Use this one each year. One of my favorite Christmas traditions.
I wrap each one in a little plastic baggie and tie with a sparkly tie.
Thank you Christine!
Fantastic! For allergy reasons I omitted the walnuts. These were easy to make and delicious.
Thanks Wendi!
I skip melting the chocolate and just add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder instead (and 2 teaspoons espresso powder because coffee (while you can’t taste it as coffee in the final product in such a small amount) brings out the richness of any chocolate dish). I also do not add the corn syrup. It’s not really necessary. If you want to add some sweetness, sub in honey for the corn syrup. I don’t use either and that extra sweetness is not missed or really needed.
My only recommendation is to not microwave the chocolate until fully melted. You want to go until they are almost all melted, then pull them out and stir to finish melting them. The residual heat in the dish will finish the melting and you won’t run the risk of burning your chocolate – which is very easy to do, especially in a microwave.
I would need to omit the nuts. Have you made them without nuts and if so, does it lose any flavor?
This sounds very good I am going to try it.
Different good recipes!