The Best Rum Balls - Happy Holidays Victoria!

We are definitely having one of the most challenging Christmas holidays. Many of the places we would go and people we would see, are not an option for visits this year. It has made me think back to all the Christmases of the past. As a little gift to all of you, I thought I would share my mom’s amazing rum ball recipe. They are certain to bring cheer so long as you like chocolate and rum.

When I was a kid growing up in Tsawwassen, my parents would have epic Christmas parties. These were events in the truest sense. My mom would spend days (weeks?) preparing the food and we would all be doing our best to get the house ready for the onslaught of guests. Some of the larger parties had upwards of 50 or 60 guests (maybe more?). Our dining room would be set-up as an massive buffet of Christmas eats and treats. While there were many tantalising delicacies sitting on that table, there really only needed to be one for me, the rum balls.

With lots of time at home and all this thinking about Christmas past, I decided that a batch of the rum balls was needed to warm the spirits.

Sponsor Message: Citified is the most comprehensive resource for researching a new-build home or commercial space in metro Victoria and southern Vancouver Island.

As a warning, I’ll say that I decided on making a half batch as there are really no options for the kind of sharing that a full batch requires, so keep that in mind if you decide to make them. That said, they will keep in the freezer for a long while after made. Okay, here is the recipe.

The Best Rum Balls Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup almond paste

• pinch salt

• 8 cups vanilla wafer cookies, crushed (2 boxes plus 16 of Nilla Cookies)

• 3 cups icing sugar

• 1 1/2 cups melted butter

• 1 1/2 cups white rum (I used dark rum last time)

• 2/3 cup cocoa

• Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

• shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

1. Combine melted chocolate, sour cream, almond paste and salt. Cream well.

2. Mix crushed wafers, icing sugar, melted butter, rum and cocoa together in a separate bowl.

3. Knead both mixtures together and then cover and place in fridge for at least a couple of hours but best overnight.

4. Roll into small balls (diameter of a quarter or a bit smaller)

5. To garnish roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles, coconut or just some cocoa powder.

6. Chill in the fridge for another couple of hours before serving.

These rum balls pack a punch, but they are also absolutely delicious. I hope all of you enjoy the holidays and Sidewalking Victoria will be back with more stories soon about all the amazing things that Victoria has to offer and some of the things that I hope that we can see here soon.