These rum balls are a blend of liquor, chocolate, pecans and cookie crumbs, all rolled together and coated with sprinkles. The perfect dessert or gift option for the holidays that’s sure to be a hit with family and friends.
There’s nothing better than homemade treats, especially around the holidays. I like to offer peanut brittle , chocolate covered Oreos , elegant eggnog cake , or these delightful little rum balls to my guests.
When the holidays roll around, I spend plenty of time in the kitchen making festive treats. These no-bake rum balls take just minutes to put together, and they’re the perfect blend of nuts and chocolate.
These rum balls are one of my favorite Christmas desserts along with peppermint bark , Christmas crack , peanut butter blossoms , cake truffles and reindeer chow .
- Rum Balls Ingredients
- How Do You Make Rum Balls?
- Tips For The Perfect Candy
- Quick Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Flavor Variations
- More Festive Treats You’ll Enjoy
- Rum Balls Video
- Love This Recipe?
- Rum Balls Recipe
Rum Balls Ingredients
This rum balls recipe is made with vanilla wafer cookies (such as Nilla brand), pecans, chocolate chips, rum, powdered sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, salt and sprinkles.
How Do You Make Rum Balls?
Making rum balls is all about mixing the flavorful ingredients into a pool of melted chocolate. First melt some chocolate in the microwave in a large bowl. Stir sifted powered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) into the chocolate. Mix in dark rum, vanilla and corn syrup. In a separate bowl, take some crushed vanilla wafers, pecans and salt, and stir them together. The wafers and pecans go into the chocolate mixture and your “dough” is complete. After the dough chills a bit in the fridge, roll up the dough into balls. Dip those balls into sprinkles, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Candy
- Keep the dough chilled to make it easier to roll it into balls. If the dough warms up too much to roll, put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes. You can coat your hands with a little cooking spray if you find the dough sticking to your hands.
- I use a food processor to easily crush my cookies and nuts into fine pieces.
- Chill your rum balls on a baking sheet or sheet pan .
- Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon measuring spoon to gather the dough for the 1 inch balls.
- Feel free to make these a couple of days ahead of when you want to serve them. The extra time helps the crushed cookies in the balls absorb the rum flavor. Store the balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
Quick Tip
The measurements in the recipe are for the whole cookies and pecans . Measure them out first, then crush them second.
Yes, these balls do contain alcohol. Since the rum is never cooked, the alcohol remains in the balls. Rum balls have a bit of a kick and are not for anyone under the age of 21
If you store these treats in an airtight container in a cool area, they do not need to be refrigerated. However, these balls hold together better, last longer and taste better if refrigerated. I highly recommend refrigerating these treats in an airtight container.
These treats stay fresh in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Serve them chilled out of the refrigerator or let them thaw on the counter. Don’t store these candies in a warm area. The balls will soften and become harder to eat if they become warm. Storing the balls at a warm temperature will decrease the time that they stay fresh.
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Flavor Variations
While these treats are delicious as-is, you can switch up the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Coatings: While I like the festive look of the sprinkles, you can also coat your balls in more chopped nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, finely shredded coconut, or simply leave them plain. Another great option would be to dip them in dark or white chocolate.
- Nuts: You can easily swap out the pecans for almonds or walnuts.
- Cookies: Instead of vanilla wafers, try graham crackers or Oreo cookies for a different flavor.
- Alcohol: No rum on hand? You can also use brandy or cognac. You could also use bourbon to make bourbon balls.
- Non-Alcoholic: If you want a booze free version, you can substitute the rum with apple juice or orange juice, or a mixture of the two. The flavor will change depending on what juice you use.
These rum balls are a festive and fun holiday treat. They are full of complex flavors and have just the right amount of kick to liven up any party or gathering. You can even make a cookie tray with these rum balls and some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes like Christmas wreath cookies , thumbprint cookies and snowball cookies !
More Festive Treats You’ll Enjoy
Eggnog Cookies
30 mins
Grinch Cookies
50 mins
Monster Cookies (Christmas Version)
25 mins
Christmas Punch
6 mins
Christmas Tree Brownies
1 hr
Rum Balls Video
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Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips do not use Nestle brand as they do not melt well
- ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- ▢ 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1/2 cup dark rum
- ▢ 3 cups vanilla wafers crushed (such as Nilla wafers)
- ▢ 1 cup pecans crushed
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Start by microwaving the chocolate for 35 seconds. Stir the chocolate and microwave it for an additional 20 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Pour the powdered sugar into the melted chocolate through a sifter or a strainer. Stir the powdered sugar into the melted chocolate.
- Pour the dark rum, corn syrup and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Mix everything together until it is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, mix together crushed vanilla wafers, crushed pecans and salt.
- Stir the vanilla wafer mixture into the chocolate mixture until everything is evenly distributed.
- Cover the mixture and chill it for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and roll 1 inch balls.
- Dip each of the balls in sprinkles, chill them in the refrigerator until firm and serve.
Notes
- Feel free to make these a couple of days ahead of when you want to serve them. The extra time helps the crushed cookies in the balls absorb the rum flavor. Store the balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
- I use a food processor to easily crush my cookies and nuts into fine pieces.
- The measurements in the recipe are for the whole cookies and pecans. Measure them out first, then crush them second.
Nutrition
These thumbprint cookies are soft vanilla cookies filled with fruit jam and baked until golden brown. An easy and classic cookie recipe that’s perfect for parties, after school snacks and special occasions.
When the holidays roll around, I find myself in the kitchen whipping up plenty of festive Christmas recipes including Italian cookies , Oreo stuffed cookies , eggnog cookies , Nutella cookies and these beautiful little thumbprint cookies.
Thumbprint cookies are a classic for good reason – they’re simple yet look so impressive, and they couldn’t be any easier to make! You can customize your cookies by adding any number of fillings and coatings for a sweet treat that’s delicious any time of the year.
- Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
- How Do You Make Thumbprint Cookies?
- Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Quick Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Flavor Variations
- More Great Cookie Recipes
- Love This Recipe?
- Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a large egg, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt and jam.
How Do You Make Thumbprint Cookies?
Thumbprint cookies are all about the perfect dough that bakes up crisp on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Make this dough by beating sugar, brown sugar and butter together. Mix in an egg, some vanilla, flour and baking soda and the dough is ready to go. Chill the dough in the fridge and roll it into balls. Dip the dough balls in sugar, then place them on a baking sheet. Press wells into the cookies with a spoon. Fill the cookies with a little jam, you can use any flavor of your choice. Bake until light golden brown, then cool and enjoy.
Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Keep the dough cold when you roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, it can get sticky and the balls can become rough instead of smooth. You can place sticky dough in the fridge or freezer to chill if needed.
- After you put the jam in the cookies, place the sheet pan of cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. Chilling the dough prevents the dough from spreading too much as it bakes.
- Some dark jams and jellies can “stain” the dough of the cookies. If you are worried about staining, avoid using blackberry or grape jams or jellies. I typically use raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam.
- Make sure you don’t overfill the cookies or the jam may bubble over and run down the sides of the cookies.
- If your balls of dough crack as you make the indentations in the middle, your dough may be overly cold and stiff. You can simply patch any cracks with your fingers .
Quick Tip
If you have trouble shaping the dough into balls, try putting a little cooking spray on your hands.
You can freeze baked thumbprint cookies. Just place them in an airtight container in a single layer. If you want to stack cookies, put a piece of waxed paper, plastic wrap or parchment paper between the layers. The frozen cookies stay fresh for about a month. When you are ready to eat the cookies remove them from the container and let them thaw on the counter.
There is no need to refrigerate thumbprint cookies, and they will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days.
It’s very important to chill your cookie dough before you bake it. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
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Flavor Variations
While this recipe is delicious as written, you can easily customize the flavors to suit your tastes.
- Coatings: Try rolling your balls of cookie dough in coatings such as sprinkles, coconut, finely minced almonds, pecans, walnuts or cinnamon sugar.
- Fillings: The filling possibilities are endless and include ingredients such as Nutella, lemon curd, chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream or caramel sauce.
This thumbprint cookie recipe is so fun to make because you can fill the cookies with all different kinds of flavors. This is a holiday classic that never goes out of style!
More Great Cookie Recipes
S’mores Cookies
27 mins
Monster Cookies
25 mins
Cake Mix Cookies
20 mins
Snowball Cookies
50 mins
Chocolate Spritz Cookies
20 mins
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Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling the cookies
- ▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- ▢ 1 egg
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 cup jam
Instructions
- Place the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat for 1-2 minutes or until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Beat until just blended.
- Place the dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Cover the dough completely with the plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 3 days.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you plan to use it.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then coat each ball in granulated sugar.
- Place the balls of dough 3 inches apart on 2 sheets pan lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
- Use your thumb, the back of a teaspoon, or the round end of a pestle to make an indentation in each cookie. Be gentle as you make each indentation so that the cookies don’t crack.
- Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Place the trays of cookies in the freezer. Chill for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are firm.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.
Notes
- Keep the dough cold when you roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, it can get sticky and the balls can become rough instead of smooth. You can place sticky dough in the fridge or freezer to chill if needed.
- If you have trouble shaping the dough into balls, try putting a little cooking spray on your hands.
Nutrition
Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips do not use Nestle brand as they do not melt well
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark rum
- 3 cups vanilla wafers crushed (such as Nilla wafers)
- 1 cup pecans crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Start by microwaving the chocolate for 35 seconds. Stir the chocolate and microwave it for an additional 20 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Pour the powdered sugar into the melted chocolate through a sifter or a strainer. Stir the powdered sugar into the melted chocolate.
- Pour the dark rum, corn syrup and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Mix everything together until it is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, mix together crushed vanilla wafers, crushed pecans and salt.
- Stir the vanilla wafer mixture into the chocolate mixture until everything is evenly distributed.
- Cover the mixture and chill it for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and roll 1 inch balls.
- Dip each of the balls in sprinkles, chill them in the refrigerator until firm and serve.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to make these a couple of days ahead of when you want to serve them. The extra time helps the crushed cookies in the balls absorb the rum flavor. Store the balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
- I use a food processor to easily crush my cookies and nuts into fine pieces.
- The measurements in the recipe are for the whole cookies and pecans. Measure them out first, then crush them second.
