These easy no-bake Chocolate Rum Balls are soft and fudgy treats made with chocolate cookie crumbs, toasted pecans, and a kick of rum. They ship well, and are great for Christmas and Hanukkah gifts, hostess gifts, and holiday platters. A festive adults only treat!
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.
Storage instructions: Chocolate rum balls can be stored at room temperature for a soft texture in an airtight container, or uncovered if you like them a little drier. Stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, the texture will be firmer. Rum balls will keep for at least 2 weeks.
This recipe can be easily doubled.
Recipe Notes
You can make your own cookie crumbs, use store-bought chocolate cookies or graham grackers, or go with the more traditional vanilla cookies. You'll need about 9 ounces (260 grams) of cookies.Since you'll be tasting the rum in this recipe, choose a rum you like to drink. You can also 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. For a different take, replace the rum with another alcohol (bourbon, Kahlua, or another strongly flavored spirit).To make a kid-friendly non-alcoholic rum ball by replacing the rum with strong coffee, tea, or apple juice and adding ¼ teaspoon of rum extract.Toppings can be anything that’s small, like sprinkles, coarse sugar, finely chopped nuts, or extra cookie crumbs. Unlike with chocolate truffles, I wouldn't recommend using powdery toppings like powdered sugar or cocoa powder because the rum balls can get gummy.