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Why is the rum gone!?! Well it’s been used to make some delicious desserts!

Rum balls make for a fantastic holiday party treat, and don’t require much more work than combining the ingredients and shaping them. They have a rich, cocoa flavor mixed with that slightly sweet burn from the rum. Coat the confection in cocoa powder, sprinkles, confectioners’ sugar, or our favorite: coconut! If you’re worried about whether or not all the rum will evaporate out, be warned there’s a good chance it won’t. So for a non-alcoholic version of this treat, replace the rum with a half cup of orange juice and the zest from one orange. Keep reading below for our favorite rum balls recipe…

Cocoa Rum Balls

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 75)
  • 1 cup ground pecans
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • additional cocoa, sprinkles, confectioners’ sugar, crushed vanilla wafers, or coconut for coating.

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, nuts, confectioners’ sugar, salt and cocoa.
  2. Mix in the rum and honey, then shape the dough into 1″ balls and roll in the coating of your choice.
  3. Store in an airtight container for 2 to three days. Roll again in the coating before serving.
  4. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

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