Rum Balls combine some of the best holiday treat traits all in one simple recipe. They can be made ahead, are beautiful to display, contain rum, and are giftable! This no-bake candy recipe is a holiday favorite with flavors you can enjoy in every season.
Crushed vanilla wafers make the base of these sugary balls that double as decor when rolled in finely chopped nuts, cocoa powder, or confectioners’ sugar. Rum and honey add moisture to help the dough come together, and this recipe gets better and better as it sits, so you’ll save time by making it ahead! For more holiday candy recipes, try my crockpot candy recipe, turtles recipe, or Oreo balls.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Vanilla Wafers – finely crush the vanilla wafer cookies with a rolling pin or by pulsing them in a food processor. The wafers are the base of the dough mixture, so be sure to use a fresh package of wafers for the best flavor. You can use graham crackers as a substitute.
Pecans – finely chopped pecans add a rich nutty flavor, and their natural oils add moisture that helps bring the mixture together. If possible, toast the pecans before using them for a deeper nutty flavor.
Cocoa Powder – adds lots of chocolate flavor and a warm coloring to the balls. Use additional cocoa powder to roll the balls in if desired.
Rum – dark rum gives this recipe its signature flavor and contributes the needed moisture to help the dough stick together when you form the balls. You can also make this recipe with brandy, bourbon, or spiced rum if you prefer.
Honey – good quality or local honey will add sweetness and help bind together the ingredients along with the rum. You can substitute the honey for light corn syrup for a more neutral flavor.
How to Make Rum Balls
1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, pecans, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the rum and honey together until the honey is completely dissolved.
3. Add the rum mixture to the dry ingredients.
4. Mix the ingredients together with a spatula until the mixture is moistened evenly and holds together when squeezed. If there are any dry pockets, just pour a splash of rum in and mix.
5. Use a tablespoon to scoop out enough of the mixture to make slightly larger than 1-inch balls. Roll out in the palms of your clean hands to make smooth balls.
6. Roll the balls in more powdered sugar, cocoa powder, wafer crumbs, or pecans to coat and place them on a baking sheet. Rum balls taste better after aging for a few days and can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Crush the vanilla wafers until they are fine crumbs. That is, aim for the crumbs to have a consistent sand-like texture. The vanilla wafers are the base of the dough for this no-bake rum balls recipe and will blend together with the other ingredients best if they are fine crumbs. Use a rolling pin to crush the cookies in a ziptop bag, or pulse them in a food processor.
- Toast the pecans. The flavor of pecans is deepened when toasted, so I always recommend using toasted pecans in this recipe. If you haven’t done this before, see my instructions on how to toast pecans.
- Whisk the honey into the rum. To evenly distribute the honey, whisk it into the rum before adding it to the dry ingredients.
- Add more rum to help the dough come together. If the dough has dry pockets after you mix the rum and honey into the dry ingredients, add an additional splash of rum and continue mixing until the dough comes together enough to hold together when squeezed. This will help the balls to adhere together better.
- Use a cookie scoop. To quickly form equally-sized balls, use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough.
- Roll the balls in confectioner’s sugar, wafer crumbs, pecans, or cocoa powder. After forming each ball, immediately roll it in sugar, vanilla wafer crumbs, finely chopped pecans, or cocoa powder. The coating adds flavor, and visual interest, and prevents the balls from sticking together when stored. You can also get creative and drizzle these with melted chocolate, dip in milk chocolate, or coat the balls in chocolate sprinkles, colored granulated sugar, or other types of nuts.
- Optional: bourbon balls variation. Make these boozy rum balls bourbon balls instead by substituting your favorite bourbon in place of the dark rum.
- Optional: alcohol-free variation. Make these with cold brewed coffee with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or rum flavor added in place of the rum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rum balls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
This recipe actually tastes better after aging for a few days, so I recommend making them in advance of when you plan to serve them. To make them ahead, mix the dough, form the balls, roll them in your desired coating, and store them in an airtight container for several days. Over time the vanilla wafers will absorb the rum and honey and the flavors will deepen.
These chocolate rum balls are as beautiful to display as they are satisfying to eat. Stack several balls in a small glass bowl and place them on your holiday table or around the room for grazing during an appetizer hour or gift exchange. Offer a few bowls of candied pecans, peppermint patties, or peanut brittle alongside them. Serving these isn’t limited to the holiday season. Make them for a party or shower and serve with butter mints and petit fours. To put the rest of the bottle of rum to work, try my rum cake or homemade coquito.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this rum balls recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Rum Balls
Video
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup dark rum
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the wafer crumbs, pecans, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rum and honey together until the honey is completely dissolved. Add the rum mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula until the mixture is moistened evenly and holds together when squeezed. If there’s any dry pocket, just pour a splash or rum in and mix.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out enough of the mixture to make a ball that’s just over an inch in diameter. Roll out in the palms of your clean hands to make smooth balls. Roll the rum balls in more powdered sugar, cocoa powder, wafer crumbs, or pecans to coat. Rum balls can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months. They taste better after aging for a few days.
Notes
- Crush the vanilla wafers until they are fine crumbs. That is, aim for the crumbs to have a consistent sand-like texture. The vanilla wafers are the base of the dough for this no-bake rum balls recipe and will blend together with the other ingredients best if they are fine crumbs. Use a rolling pin to crush the cookies in a ziptop bag, or pulse them in a food processor.
- Toast the pecans. The flavor of pecans is deepened when toasted, so I always recommend using toasted pecans in this recipe. If you haven’t done this before, see my instructions on how to toast pecans.
- Whisk the honey into the rum. To evenly distribute the honey, whisk it into the rum before adding it to the dry ingredients.
- Add more rum to help the dough come together. If the dough has dry pockets after you mix the rum and honey into the dry ingredients, add an additional splash of rum and continue mixing until the dough comes together enough to hold together when squeezed. This will help the balls to adhere together better.
- Use a cookie scoop. To quickly form equally-sized balls, use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough.
- Roll the balls in confectioner’s sugar, wafer crumbs, pecans, or cocoa powder. After forming each ball, immediately roll it in sugar, vanilla wafer crumbs, finely chopped pecans, or cocoa powder. The coating adds flavor, and visual interest, and prevents the balls from sticking together when stored. You can also get creative and drizzle these with melted chocolate, dip in milk chocolate, or coat the balls in chocolate sprinkles, colored granulated sugar, or other types of nuts.
- Optional: bourbon balls variation. Make these boozy rum balls bourbon balls instead by substituting your favorite bourbon in place of the dark rum.
- Optional: alcohol-free variation. Make these with cold brewed coffee with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or rum flavor added in place of the rum.
