You want a perfect adult indulgence ? Here is a delight that is laced with Rum. Rum Balls are a truffle-like confection, being sweet, dense balls flavoured with chocolate and rum. These no bake ones have the goodness of crushed cookie crumbs, cocoa, sugar, corn syrup and rum. Garnish them as you please, dipped in chocolate, roll them in icing sugar, cocoa powder, nuts, sprinkles; creativity knows no bounds.
These Rum Balls are said to mature in flavour with age. I did not get the opportunity to find out…but you can. Try them, they are really exotic and you will get the ‘kick’ that everone deserves at Christmas time.
Ingredients :
1 1/2 cups (150 grams) toasted nuts (as per your choice – I used cashewnuts, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts)
1 1/4 cups (125 grams) digestive biscuits (use the best quality available-as they make the base)
1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar (grind granulated sugar in dry coffee grinder)
2 tablespoons (15 grams) Cocoa Powder
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) dark rum (can use more to bind if required)
For Topping : 120 grams of dark chocolate and 1 or 2 teaspoons of butter.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and place the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool and then pulse them in a dry coffee grinder. They should be like bread crumbs but not moist. Keep in a large bowl.
Pulse the biscuits in the dry coffee grinder or beat them with a rolling pin till you get biscuit crumbs, Add the biscuit crumbs to the nuts mixture. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and stir with a whisk. Add corn syrup and rum and mix well. If not binding together add more rum. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and then proceed to shape into 1” balls. Lay them on a wax paper and chill.
You can even coat them with nuts or coconut shavings, but I feel a chocolate coating gives best results. For this put 120 grams of chopped chocolate and 1 or 2 teaspoons of butter in a saucepan placed over a pan of simmering water. Ensure that the saucepan with the chocolate does not touch the water but is just above the water. Also no water should splash into the melting chocolate or the chocolate will cease and get hard. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and dip the balls one by one into the melted chocolate ensuring that it is fully dunked into the chocolate. Lift with a fork and allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. When the dripping stops, transfer to the wax paper lined tray, till they dry and turn hard.
I drizzled royal icing on the balls ( mix 3-4 tablespoons of water and icing sugar till you get a thickish icing and then drizzle on the rum balls).
