These are AWESOME!!! My husband suggested an easier way to coat them with the powdered sugar: instead of rolling them in it put the sugar in a ziploc bag and shake. They come out perfect with less mess to clean up!
Like some other readers I made this last year and did not get around to rating it probably because I kept having to make more rumballs for everyone who went gaga for these! They were easy to make I used a small black and decker food processor for the nuts blender for the vanilla wafers and Voila! very easy. I had so many requests to make more I ran out of rum and then started using anything that came to hand - Hazelnuts with Baileys some with frangelico since I ran out of baileys in the middle of a batch Kahlua with macadamias you name it they all tasted great and got raves. I just selected nuts that sounded like they would go with whatever was in the mix for that batch then rolled them in either plain powdered sugar or powdered sugar with cocoa powder to tell them apart. Tried sprinkles and could not get them to stick however I HAD had several rum balls by that time:-)so I am going to try again this year! Definately a crowd pleaser!
Just made these to add to my holiday cookie plate. They turned out GREAT! I used a little less than 1/2 a cup of Capt. Morgans spiced rum and they are tasty. They are fast and easy to make and a real crowd pleaser. You won't be disappointed. TIP: use powdered sugar on your hands to help roll the balls - they roll much quicker this way.
I really should have reviewed this recipe when I started using it 2 yrs. ago. I want to give it 10 stars! I do as other reviewers: powder my hands, refrigerate the "dough," and use spiced rum. I also scale the serving size to 37 (or multiples of 37), so I only have to buy one box of wafers (exactly 2 1/2 cups). For those who don't know, the quickest way to crush the cookies and nuts is in a freezer ziploc with some sort of mallet (or palms of hands). Of course, adjust rum to taste. I still use the 1/2 cup, even when I scale the recipe down!
Though I have not yet tried this recipe (I plan to use it this holiday season) I wanted to pass along my hint for forming the rum balls - I use a melon baller. It makes all the rum balls the same size and saves sticky hands. Can't wait to try these!!
Okay first of all these are RUM BALLS! If you don't like rum flavor then this is not the recipe you should be making! I make these ALL of the time now they are a staple every year. I made them with coconut rum this year and WOW! YUM! TIP: Use a spoon to drop little wads of rum ball dough onto a sheet of wax paper. Put about 2/3 cup of powdered sugar into a big ziploc bag and fold the top down so that you can easily drop the balls into it once you've rolled them. Dust your hands with powdered sugar sprinkle a little on top of the dough balls then start rollin'! NO MESS...well no STICKY mess lol.
Delicious and super-easy. For stickiness try chilling the mixture in the fridge for a little while before rolling them into balls. Using chunkier wafer crumbs helps too- I think these taste better with coarser crumbs because they add flavor and texture (though I've found that the finer the wafer crumbs the stronger the rum balls...). Lightly toasting the walnuts (about 12 minutes at 325 degrees) before roughly chopping and adding to the mix adds greater depth of flavor--I think it complements the flavor of the rum and tends to temper what some consider the overwhelming alcohol component. I LOVE these and so does everyone else i know. With some pretty packaging they make lovely gifts.
Excellent recipe. I made it four different ways for a big cocktail party I had. These were the tips I found the most helpful. (1) Use a food processor to crush everything. Very easy. (2) Chill the mixture for 0.5-1.0 hour to make it easier to form the balls. (3) Use a melon baller as suggested to form the balls. They come out much more uniform and it's REALLY easy. (4) Although I followed the original recipe my favorite variations were (a) to use Oreos and Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum instead (my guests also agreed this was the best); and (b) I used vanilla wafers and a vanilla cognac made by the House of Grand Marnier. The cognac is called Navan and it's incredibly smooth going down when you drink it. My wife who generally hates hard alcohol will even drink this liquor on the rocks. Granted it's not really much of a chocolate taste but it's truly great and a wonderful variation. (5) Stow the treats in a sealed contained for 4-7 days and before serving put confectioners sugar in either a ziploc or a tupperware container. Merely roll the balls in the container and place them on the dish ready to serve. This coats the balls very easily and effectively.
Oh my goodness!! I've had rum balls before but never quite this good. I found this recipe at the last minute and found I didn't have any rum. With the stores all closed I used Kahlua in 1 recipe and Ameretto in another. I got rave reviews! Thanks for my new favorite recipe.
This was the worst thing I have ever made and this is the only one star bad review I have ever written. I was leary when I saw the vanilla wafers as an ingredient because I don't like using processed foods but they got such great reviews and I wanted an easy chocolatey-rummy ball for the Christmas party. I like the taste of rum but these came out tasting like rum flavored dough. Not sure what the problem was because all those positive reviewers can't be wrong.
