These Rum Chocolate Truffles (or Australian Rum Balls) are a classic Christmas recipe. They have only 5 ingredients and come together in just a few easy steps. If you're after an easy Christmas treat to make over the holidays that will WOW your guests, then these Christmas Rum Chocolate Truffles should be top of your list.
My Grandmother has been making rum balls every Christmas for as long as I can remember. Everyone would hover over the plate until they were all gone (and they were gone quickly). Now that all of us Grandkids are older, she gifts us our own container of Christmas Rum Balls every Christmas which means we don't have to share!
The rum in the rum chocolate truffles is optional, as I know many people aren't comfortable giving treats with alcohol to under 18s. The rum balls are delicious with or without the rum, and you can always adjust the amount of rum you add in if you want!
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Ingredients and substitutions
Condensed milk. Condensed milk is a must for truffle recipes (but can be substituted with other options - see FAQs).
It helps with the sweetness and amplifies the flavour of any ball or truffle recipe. If you're concerned with calories, you can opt for a reduced sugar sweetened condensed milk, or a skim condensed milk.
If you're after a vegan alternative to condensed milk, I have made these with a coconut condensed milk (found in the baking aisle) and they are just as delicious!
Sweet cookies or biscuits. My grandmother traditionally used Arrowroot biscuits for these and I think they provide the best texture.
But there was one time when I've made them and I couldn't find Arrowroot biscuits and decided to make them with the Marie's instead. Worked just as well!
If you want to mix-and-match your cookies for the rum balls, just make sure they're a drier cookie as it can impact the texture of the balls if they have additional moisture in them.
Desiccated coconut. Adds a hint of coconut flavour to the chocolate and used for decorating.
Cocoa powder. Or you could use cacao powder, or even milo for an extra bit of fun!
Rum. This is optional. I like to add a couple of teaspoons because I like the hint of rum flavour (which is barely any alcohol as you make about 15 balls with this recipe).
But, you can omit the rum if you don't want to serve them to children. Although, I grew up eating Rum balls every single Christmas and I'm fine! You could also substitute baileys, bourbon or whisky.
How to make Christmas rum balls
- Turn biscuits into fine powder
Add cookies to a food processor and process until a fine powder. If you don't have either of these appliances, you can add the biscuits to a large ziplock bag and beat them into a fine powder with a rolling pin
- Add ingredients
Add the cocoa, condensed milk and rum to the processor with the biscuits powder and process until all combined. Or you can add it all to a bowl and mix well.
- Form balls
Scoop approx. 1 tablespoon worth of mixture (you could use an icecream scoop to ensure they're all the same size, or just a large spoon) and form a ball. Roll in the coconut, then back into your hands to roll again, then add to the coconut for a second time (my secret 😉 )
If the balls aren't holding their shape, add to the mixture to the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes. This hardens it up ever so slightly to make it easier to form the balls.
Repeat for the rest of the mixture. - Refrigerate to set
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 7-14 days in an airtight container).
You can also freeze rum balls for about 3 months. I would recommend using a reusable ziplock bag and making sure all the air is removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The rum is completely optional in rum balls (despite the name). The recipe is delicious both with or without the rum (or with different quantities - although, I wouldn't add too much more than prescribed otherwise the balls might be too soft to form).
You could also make rum balls with baileys, bourbon or whisky.
You can make rum chocolate truffles without condensed milk a few different ways.
Cream base. You can make rum balls with heavy cream or coconut cream. Just let it cool slightly before adding rum and rolling into truffles. Add gradually and adjust as you go.
Fruit base. You could make rum balls with a fruit paste or jam like dates, prunes or raspberry. These will add a fruity dimension to the rum balls.
Sweeteners. You can make Christmas rum balls with maple syrup or honey. They might make the rum balls slightly softer so add it slowly and adjust as you go.
If you're not a fan of the rum taste in Christmas rum balls but still want a little alcoholic kick, I would recommend making baileys truffles instead. Substitute the rum for equivalent amount of baileys in the rum balls, but make sure to refrigerate after making them as these alcoholic chocolate truffles could curdle (especially in the Australian summer).
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Other Christmas recipes
Recipe
Christmas Rum Chocolate Truffles with Coconut
Ingredients
- 250 g Arrowroot biscuits See Note 1
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa See Note 2
- 400 ml Condensed milk See Note 3
- 2 tablespoon Rum optional (See Note 4)
- ½ cup Desiccated Coconut
Instructions
- Add arrowroot biscuits to a food processor and process until a fine powder. Or place the biscuits into a large ziplock bag and beat with a rolling pin until it’s a fine powder.
- Add the cocoa, condensed milk and rum to the biscuit powder in a processor and process until all combined. Or you can add it all to a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon worth of mixture (you could use an icecream scoop to ensure they're all the same size, or just a large spoon) and form a ball. Roll in the coconut, then back into your hands to roll again, then add to the coconut for a second time (my secret 😉 ) (See Note 5 if balls are too soft and not holding their shape)
- Repeat for the rest of the mixture.
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