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No Bake Chocolate Rum Balls pack a punch of rich flavors and wonderful contrast of textures. They are a sumptuous treat perfect for Christmas Cookie exchanges and there are plenty of ways to prepare these Traditional Rum Balls with or without alcohol.

Chocolate rum balls absolutely melt in your mouth, enveloping your tastebuds with their velvety texture and sweet, rich and nutty flavor. As the rum melds with the honey and corn syrup, it creates a moist, slightly sticky texture that keeps the rum balls delightfully soft with a slight amount of crunch from the chopped pecans.

Traditional Rum Balls Recipe

The base of these easy rum balls is formed by crumbly, soft vanilla wafers, four types of sugar and chopped pecans, which creates a sweet, nutty base that helps balance out the warmth and kick of the rum and richness of the cocoa powder.

Chocolate rum balls absolutely melt in your mouth, enveloping your tastebuds with their velvety texture and sweet, rich and nutty flavor. As the rum melds with the honey and corn syrup, it creates a moist, slightly sticky texture that keeps the rum balls delightfully soft with a slight amount of crunch from the chopped pecans.

Using a good quality rum is key for this recipe. You want a rum that has distinct flavors of molasses and vanilla, not something that makes your mouth pucker after tasting. The flavor of the rum will intensify as these rum balls sit, so the flavor of the rum is possibly the most important factor in making this recipe. (And see our recipe FAQ section if you don’t want to use real rum to make these rum balls.)

For this recipe, I used Millican Pecan’s Pecan Pieces. I didn’t realize what a difference there could be between pecan brands, but these are so incredibly fresh and flavorful. They also have delicious snack options like the Sweet and Spicy Pecans which are perfect for the holidays. My next order, I’m trying their Pecan Butter and the Caramel Pecan Coffee! (And by the way, this is not sponsored – I just really love them.)

powdered sugar coated rum balls on a white plate garnished with Christmas decorations

Rum Ball FAQs

How to store rum balls: Store the rum balls in a single layer in an airtight container in the coldest part of your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (the rum flavor intensifies with each passing day).

Can rum balls be frozen? Yes, you can freeze rum balls for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight freezer bag and thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

What can I replace the rum in rum balls with? You can replace the rum with a variety of different options. If you want to keep the rum flavor, you can use 2 teaspoons of rum extract and replace the rest of the rum called for in the recipe with apple cider or apple juice.

Alternatively, you can use a non-alcoholic rum flavoured beverage. (There are many options available now, such as this zero-proof rum.) Or, you can use just straight apple cider or even coca-cola.

More Boozy Dessert Recipes

composite image of finished rum balls and three images showing how to make them

Ingredients for Rum Balls

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: the rum can be replaced with 2 teaspoons of rum extract and 5 Tablespoons of apple juice for an alcohol-free alternative.

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How to Make Chocolate Rum Balls

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.

in-process images of how to make rum balls

Add the Nilla wafers to a food processor and break the cookies down into small crumbs.

Pour the wafer crumbs into a large mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, pecans and salt. Whisk to combine.

Add the corn syrup, honey and one 1/4 cup of the rum. Mix until a crumbly, stiff batter forms. If your batter is a bit too dry, add additional rum. I added an additional 2 Tablespoons and that seemed to make the batter perfect. Cover and chill for one hour.

Remove the chilled batter from the refrigerator. Roll into one inch balls and place on the lined baking sheet. Cover and chill for 10 minutes.

Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll each chilled rum ball into the powdered sugar, covering each one completely.

Pin this Easy Rum Ball Recipe for a no-bake Christmas treat just for the grown-ups:

No Bake Chocolate Rum Balls pack a punch of rich flavors and wonderful contrast of textures. They are a sumptuous treat perfect for Christmas Cookie exchanges and there are plenty of ways to prepare these Traditional Rum Balls with or without alcohol.

Grab your free printable recipe card for our no bake rum balls recipe:

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Yield: 30 servings

Chocolate Rum Balls

Name: Chocolate Rum Balls
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: Cookie recipe
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Vanilla Nilla Wafers, crushed; 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Icing Sugar; 1 cup Brown Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder; 1 cup Chopped Pecans; 1/2 teaspoon Salt; 1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup; 3 Tablespoons Honey; 6 Tablespoons Bacardi Rum

No Bake Chocolate Rum Balls pack a punch of rich flavors and wonderful contrast of textures. They are a sumptuous treat perfect for Christmas Cookie exchanges and there are plenty of ways to prepare these Traditional Rum Balls with or without alcohol.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Vanilla Nilla Wafers, crushed
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Icing Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
3 Tablespoons Honey
6 Tablespoons Bacardi Rum

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
Add the Nilla wafers to a food processor and break the cookies down into small crumbs.
Pour the wafer crumbs into a large mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, pecans and salt. Whisk to combine.
Add the corn syrup, honey and one 1/4 cup of the rum. Mix until a crumbly, stiff batter forms. If your batter is a bit too dry, add additional rum. I added an additional 2 Tablespoons and that seemed to make the batter perfect. Cover and chill for one hour.
Remove the chilled batter from the refrigerator. Roll into one inch balls and place on the lined baking sheet. Cover and chill for 10 minutes.
Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll each chilled rum ball into the powdered sugar, covering each one completely.

Notes

You can replace the rum with a variety of different options. If you want to keep the rum flavor, you can use 2 teaspoons of rum extract and replace the rest of the rum called for in the recipe with apple cider or apple juice.

Alternatively, you can use a non-alcoholic rum flavoured beverage. (There are many options available now, such as this zero-proof rum.) Or, you can use just straight apple cider or even coca-cola.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 126Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 44mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 0g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.