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Are you ready to RUMMMMBBBBAAAALLLLL!?!!
Get it?
Because they are rum balls ha! So funny!
You guys. These rum balls are pretty much the best thing ever. They are like a little shot in dessert form. Yes, make no mistake, these babies are bursting with alcohol.
Sink your teeth into soft little balls that are slightly chocolate-y with hints of warming spices, and heavy on the booze, coated in crunchy chocolate sprinkles. Trust me, no matter how your day is going these rum balls will make it a little bit better.
Confession, I have never actually had a rum ball before.
I mean, except for the ones I am sharing with you today, of course. Nope, I don’t think I have eaten a rum ball in any other occasion, I just heard of the idea and knew I must make some. When doing research I found a wide variety of recipes for rum balls. The most popular term (according to google trends) is rum balls, so I went with that name – but bourbon balls are also popular. You could use bourbon, whiskey, or spiced rum interchangeably in this recipe. It all depends on what you prefer, or already might have on hand.
My research on how to make rum balls, or bourbon balls came up with conflicting results. Some were just a basic chocolate truffle with rum or bourbon added. While others had wafer cookies crushed up in the batter, and there were recipes that had crushed nuts in the batter. For the outer coating some recipes called for rolling the balls in powdered sugar, others rolled in crushed nuts, a few were rolled in sprinkles….literally the combinations seemed endless. I was a little overwhelmed since I never actually had a rum ball to compare to.
The main components of a rum balls or bourbon balls were consistent: 1) cocoa powder was involved. 2) a lot of alcohol was always included 3) they were always rolled into a cute round ball and coated in something to keep the balls from sticking to each other.
Okay…I’ve got this. I can create my own version of a rum ball.
You know that I had to make it just slightly healthier, right?! Date sweetened rum balls were born!
Yes, that’s right, these rum balls are entirely sweetened using dates….well except for the small amount of sugar in the chocolate sprinkles, but hey, it’s Christmas. When testing several options for the coating, I finally landed on chocolate sprinkles. They provide a nice soft crunch and don’t overpower the flavor of the rum ball itself. Because, why would we want to do that?
Here’s what you need for these date sweetened rum balls:
- dates – for sweetening and binding
- blanched almonds – for body
- cocoa powder – for that lovely chocolate flavor
- coconut flour – to bind and absorb a good amount of moisture
- salt – balance
- cinnamon – for that warming spice
- ground cloves – more warming spice
- nutmeg – even more yummy warming spice
- vanilla – flavor bomb
- alcohol of choice – spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey will work equally well.
- chocolate sprinkles – for that perfect outside coating
Simple wholesome, ingredients (well except for the alcohol….but, we deserve a little fun).
Here’s how you make rum balls:
- Soak your dates in hot water. Drain and pop into the freezer to cool.
- In food processor pulse the almonds, coconut flour, cocoa powder, spices, and salt until a sand like texture is achieved. Transfer to a bowl.
- Pulse dates in the food processor until a paste forms. Add the dry ingredients back in and pulse until well incorporated
- Add the whiskey/spiced rum/bourbon and the vanilla, pulse until a thick batter has formed.
- Transfer the batter back to the bowl and freeze for 20 mins.
- Roll in to tablespoon sized balls, then roll them in the sprinkles to coat
- freeze another 15 minutes.
- Party on!!! As in, cheers! Let’s do a shot in the form of an edible ball!!!
That’s it! Pretty simple. No baking involved. No melting chocolate involved. Just pure fun, if you ask me!
(P.S. Full, detailed recipe is below).
I mean how can you not want a bite of these chewy little balls of heaven. Yes, in case you are wondering, there is no mistaking that there is alcohol in these rum balls. The first batch I made you could barely tell there was alcohol in them . If I’m going to make rum balls, I want to make rum balls. I am not messing around here.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like you’re getting an intense burn as if you were taking a shot of whiskey. You do have a pleasant subtle warming feeling in your mouth that only comes from alcohol. If you eat two or three then you do start to feel that lovely warming calm feeling in your stomach. Like I said, these rum balls are like taking half of a shot.
Chew-able shots anyone?!
These rum balls would be a fun Christmas party dessert. The only thing is since they are so strong, you might want to include label so that anyone who doesn’t want to (or can’t) eat a shot of rum/whiskey/bourbon knows what they are. Also, a good idea to keep them away from little tiny grabbing hands.
Still, I promise these rum balls won’t go uneaten. They are incredibly delicious, and I just might choose them over any cookie. Because rum!
Paul said they are his second favorite recipe I made for Christmas this year, the first being the pecan pie cookies. Cookies are his favorite.
I hope you enjoy my spin on this traditional Holiday treat as much as we do.
Cheers!
Here are more no bake Christmas treats you might enjoy:
- 15 minute creme brulee (no bake)
- edible cookie dough (3 different flavors)
- 5 ingredient vanilla cashew cups
- crunchy no bake chocolate cookies
- dark chocolate bark with candied oranges
- dark chocolate peppermint truffles
- homemade vegan chocolate turtles
- Mexican chocolate cake balls (no bake)
Here are more whiskey/spiced rum/ bourbon recipes for you to try:
- coconut whiskey chai latte
- easy hot toddy
- easy coconut Irish coffee (only, you’re kind of required to use Irish whiskey in this recipe. Because Irish coffee!!!!)
- slow cooker apple cider + boozy bar
- chocolate whiskey zucchini cupcakes
So many goodies for you!
Plus that little rum ball below. Don’t you wish you would have taken that bite?!
Just in case you were wondering, it was delightful.
Did you make this recipe? Do me a favor and leave me a comment below along with a star rating. Not only does it help my blog rank higher it makes me smile. Thanks, friends!
Print
Date Sweetened Rum Balls
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: About 30 balls 1x
- Category: dessert, chocolate, holiday, no bake
- Method: blending, assembly
- Cuisine: gluten free, vegan, dairy free, vegetarian
Description
Soft, chocolate-y, boozy balls coated in chocolate sprinkles. My version of rum balls are sweetened with dates, but you won’t even be able to tell – they are delicious bites of heaven.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates, packed (about 15 to 20 dates)
- 1 cup blanched slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons spiced dark rum, bourbon, or whiskey
coating
- about 2/3 cup chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- Soak dates: Soak dates in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and place the hot dates in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Prepare: While the dates are soaking line a medium rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Set aside.
- Make the rum ball batter: Place the almonds, cocoa powder, coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine meal has formed, like the consistency of sand, (see photo in the post). Remove to a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside. Returning to the food processor add the dates that have now cooled. Pulse until a ball has formed, or small bits of the dates remain. Using a wooden spoon brake up the date ball slightly. Add the dry ingredients back into the food processor and pulse until mostly well mixed together.
- Add the rum: Next add the spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey, to the food processor along with the vanilla extract. Pulse until well combined.
- Freeze: Transfer the dough back to the mixing bowl, cover and freeze for 20 minutes – this prevents the dough from sticking to your hands.
- Portion out the dough: Once the dough has chilled use a small cookie dough scoop (1 tablespoon) to scoop the dough and place them on the prepared baking sheet until all of the dough has been used. You should have about 28 to 30 balls.
- Roll into balls & decorate: Place about 3/4 cup of chocolate sprinkles in a small bowl. Use your hands to roll each portion into a ball and then place the ball into the sprinkles, roll it around until the ball is coated in sprinkles, place back onto the baking sheet. Repeat until you have worked through all the rum balls.
- Freeze/store/eat: Place the cookie sheet back into the freezer for 15 minutes so that the balls will retain their shape/be well chilled when served. Either serve immediately or store them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
These rum balls will work well with either spiced rum, whiskey, or bourbon. Tip: you don’t have to use a super expensive liquor because the main flavor will be hidden by the other ingredients in the rum balls. However, I would recommend making sure it is a alcohol you enjoy drinking because they are strong.
These rum balls are very strong, kind of like a half of a shot per ball. They are not for children or pregnant woman (or anyone who doesn’t drink) – if you have these out at a party I would highly recommend labeling them so that everyone knows what they are.
Prep time does not include inactive time needed to chill the rum balls.
These Chocolate Coconut Energy Balls are naturally sweetened only with DATES, yet they taste sweet and decadent, similar to an almond joy.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the kind review.