These easy Chocolate Pecan Rum Balls are soft and fudgy no-bake treats made with chocolate cookie crumbs, toasted pecans, and a kick of rum. They're a luscious adults only treat!
Why this recipe works
- Rich fudgy chocolate with a soft, slightly chewy texture
- Easy to make with only a food processor. No baking required!
- Adjust the amount of rum to your preference, or use a substitute for an alcohol-free rum ball
My mom's birthday is coming, and I want to send her something she likes. Something that ships well and will surprise and delight her.
Then I remembered...she loves Chocolate Rum Balls.
Score!
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What you need
Traditional rum ball recipes use crushed vanilla wafers as the base mixed with finely ground pecans. However, my mom and I both love fudgy rum balls with a soft chocolate core using chocolate cookie crumbs as the base.
You can make homemade chocolate cookie crumbs if you don't have chocolate cookies at home. There is a bit of baking though, giving this no-bake chocolate rum ball recipe an extra few minutes of work. Seriously, they're so easy to do, and there's no need to run out and buy chocolate cookies!
The rest of the ingredients are what you'd find in a recipe for classic rum balls: powdered sugar, pecans, cocoa powder, and honey. Notice, there's no corn syrup in this rum ball recipe.
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How to make rum balls
All you need to do is make a soft chocolate dough, then roll them into balls and your favorite toppings. The dough comes together quickly with a food processor.
Step 1: Mix the cookie crumbs and pecans
Combine the cookie crumbs and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse them together until the nuts are finely ground (photo 1). Set aside.
Step 2: Make the chocolate base
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together (I like this sifter). Add the rum and honey to the cocoa mixture, and whisk until smooth (photo 2).
Step 3: Make the dough
Add the cocoa mixture to the food processor bowl and pulse until the dough is just combined (photo 3).
Set the food processor bowl aside at room temperature, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours so the cookie crumbs absorb the liquid and soften. This makes for a fudgier texture and easier rolling.
Step 4: Roll the dough into balls
Using a small cookie scoop, portion the dough into balls about 1-inch wide. Roll each ball in your hands to get it smooth, then roll it in the topping of your choice (photo 4).
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Traditional rum balls use vanilla wafers, but they won't be quite as fudgy. You'll need about 9 ounces (260 grams) of cookies.
You can reduce the amount of rum by half for a more subtly flavored candy to suit your tastes. Just reduce the amount of cookie crumbs to compensate - start with half and add more until you get a good thick consistency.
Sure! Bourbon, Kahlua, or another strongly flavored spirit will work well. For a kid-friendly non-alcoholic rum ball, replace the rum with strong coffee, tea, or juice
Pro Tip: What to choose for toppings
I use colored sprinkles and pink coarse sugar. Other choices could be finely chopped nuts, more cookie crumbs, or go all out and dip them in tempered melted chocolate.
Unlike with chocolate truffles, I wouldn't recommend using powdery toppings like powdered sugar or cocoa powder because the rum balls can get gummy.
Rich and fudgy with a kick
These fudgy rum balls have a luscious chocolate flavor, a slight chewy texture from the pecans, and a kick from the rum. This recipe makes 15 chocolate pecan rum balls, but the recipe can easily be doubled if you want more. I'd approve!
Rum balls can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. If at room temperature, you can leave them covered for moister balls or uncovered if you like them a little drier (hint: drier rum balls travel better).
Chocolate Pecan Rum Balls are so easy to make, and look festive, too. Celebrate a birthday or holiday, bring them to your next adult gathering, or just treat someone you love with this candy with a kick.
They're a luscious, adults-only treat!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Candy making doesn't have to be hard, and making fudge definitely isn't. And if you want to try your hand at chocolate dipped treats, here's a guide to temper chocolate for that satisfying snap.
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Recipe
Easy No-Bake Chocolate Pecan Rum Balls
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups chocolate cookie crumbs, see Recipe Notes
- ¾ cup pecans, toasted
- 1½ tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup rum, see Recipe Notes
- 2¼ teaspoons honey
- toppings, as desired, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cookie crumbs and pecans. Pulse them together until the nuts are finely ground. Set aside.
- Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar together into a small bowl. Add the rum and honey to the cocoa mixture, and whisk until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the food processor bowl and pulse until the dough is just combined.
- Set the food processor bowl aside at room temperature, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours so the cookie crumbs absorb the liquid and soften. This makes for a fudgier texture and easier rolling.
- Using a small cookie scoop, portion the dough into balls about 1-inch wide. Roll each ball in your hands to get it smooth, then roll it in the topping of your choice.
- Rum balls can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. If at room temperature, you can leave them covered for moister balls or uncovered if you like them a little drier. They should keep indefinitely.
- This recipe can be easily doubled.
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