These rum balls are the easiest, best, and most festive cookie to make and gift during the holiday season — they take no time to whip together, require no baking, and are incredibly delicious. What's more? They can be made ahead and frozen, too.
Notes:
If you can't find vanilla wafers, many people have had success with graham crackers, ginger snaps, shortbread cookies, and even creme-filled cookies.
If you'd like to gift rum balls, you may want to pick up a set of Mini Foil Wrappers, which are perfect for rum balls or truffles or chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls or anything else similarly sized.
A #100 scoop is also particularly helpful for shaping, though you absolutely can use a teaspoon or simply your hands to pinch of portions of the dough and roll into balls.
3+ cups (311 g) vanilla wafers (a whole box of Nilla wafers), see notes above
1 cup (120 g) confectioners’ sugar (plus more for rolling)
2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder
2 tablespoons (44 g) white corn syrup
1/3 cup (74 g) rum, plus more as needed
Categories
Cookie
Cuisine
American
Steps
Place vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. There might be a few large pieces that don’t catch the blade at this step, but they’ll eventually end up getting pulverized, so don’t worry. (Alternatively, place vanilla wafers into a Ziploc bag and bash them with a rolling pin until they are fine pieces).
Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and corn syrup and pulse till combined. Add the 1/3 cup rum and pulse to combine. If necessary, slowly add more rum to the food processor until the mixture comes together and forms a mass around the blade or holds together when you pinch it.
Using a teaspoon or a #100 scoop, scoop out balls from the processor, roll them gently with your hands to form balls, then drop them onto a plate (or shallow tupperware) filled with a thin layer of powdered sugar. Shake the vessel to coat the balls, then transfer the balls to an airtight storage container until you are ready to serve them. Store at room temperature for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature briefly before serving.
Reviews
Colleen on 2024-11-05 (5 stars): Can’t find Nilla wafers in BC, so substituted Peak Freens “Social Tea” cookies. Perfect!
K Adams on 2024-12-08 (5 stars): I made this with Kirkland animal crackers, and they turned out delicious. I also added a dollop of molasses. Very tasty.
Denise on 2024-12-10 (5 stars): I forgot to add 5 stars!
Brenda on 2024-12-14 (5 stars): Super YUMMY! I made these for an adult birthday party, used maple syrup (well I am in Vermont) instead of the corn syrup, they are so delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Elle on 2024-12-15 (5 stars): I made these last night, and they made about 36 small cookies.
I like to use sprinkles instead of powdered sugar, and the cookies weren't quite sticky enough to hold them on, so I added some extra corn syrup at the end, just to make that easier.
These can be made with all kinds of alcohol for different flavors.
Very tasty.
Larry on 2024-12-16 (5 stars): Excellent, easy, only made 36. Make it again anytime.
ForrestDallasTX on 2024-12-21 (5 stars): This was a easy recipe to follow.
I added a cup of pecans, doubled the rum and added about a quarter cup of graham cracker crumbs. I like the extra rum, it's a lovely note at the end., not offensive.
DELICIOUS! In fact, I need to double this recipe. Everyone loves them! They went so fast!!
ForrestDallasTX on 2024-12-21 (5 stars): I need to amend my recipe alteration The state that the pecans that I added were pulverized.
Jackie Porath on 2024-12-22 (4 stars): Very Boozy just like the name suggests. I added about a cup of rice crispys, a cup of raisins, a half cup of chopped pecans and a quarter cup of Nutella and a tsp of vanilla to tame this beast of a recipe. You still can taste the rum just now it's not like taking a shot.
Melissa on 2025-08-29 (5 stars): These taste incredible! Thank you. For those in Australia (we don't have corn syrup), I substituted it with the Queen brand Glucose syrup (from Coles/Woolies). I also added raisins which I soaked overnight in rum.
Brieta on 2025-11-04 (5 stars): Have not made this recipe but have my Mom's from her 1947 Cookbook she received as a Bride. Only thing different we did is wrap the balls in an air tight container with cheesecloth layer inside first. Enuf cloth to cover each layer and the top. Pour more rum over the cheesecloth so the balls can be soaked in it. She make hers a few months (1-2) in advance so balls can be really soaked well. Before serving then can roll in XXX sugar or chocolate sprinkles. She limited guests to only 3 rum balls that night when she had them out at parties.
Kathy Taylor on 2025-11-27 (5 stars): Made this recipe in two batches. one regular following to the Tee and the other with walnuts (crushed) both recipients really loved each respective batch
***** five stars
Julie on 2025-12-01 (5 stars): This reminds me of my 3-ingredient recipe for bourbon balls:
Crush walnuts or pecans into powder
Cover with bourbon, let set at least a week
Then mix a small amount with confectioner's sugar till you get a consistency that'll hold shape
Roll into balls, tada, done, but you can also dip them into melted chocolate for a finishing touch
Lazrus on 2025-12-04 (4 stars): So we often make these during holidays. We also use nuts, bourbon soaked chopped cherries, and chocolate coating, or coconut. The possibilities are endless!
Valerie on 2025-12-26 (5 stars): I used your recipe because I could not find my old recipe for Kaulah balls. This worked perfectly but I did something different from rolling them in just 10x sugar. I rolled them in crushed candy cane, sweetened coconut, crushed pecans, graham cracker crumbs, and 10x sugar.
Rebecca on 2025-12-26 (5 stars): I used 1/2 cup spiced rum and refrigerated the dough for an hour or so, which helped firm things and made the balls easier to work with. Some were double rolled in confectioners sugar first, then unsweetened cocoa. Others were rolled in sweetened coconut. Both turned out great and were a big hit with friends and neighbors.
I suggest making a triple batch: somehow, word gets around when you make these!
Peggy M on 2025-12-29 (5 stars): Delicious! Everyone loved these at our family Christmas party. I combined Nilla wafers and ginger snaps, used maple syrup instead of corn syrup, and Captain Morgan's spiced rum with a splash of vanilla bourbon.
Carolyn on 2025-12-30 (5 stars): Nilla wafers are not available where I live - I subbed an equal weight of original Oreo cookies (just as they come out of the package). All else remains the same as this recipe. Jamaican rum is my preference! Everyone loves these and two batches are usually required!
Leah on 2026-02-27 (5 stars): These are honestly the best rum balls. I use Arrowroot biscuits and make half with rum and half with Baileys. Yum!
Ellie Denman on 2026-07-23 (5 stars): I use chocolate wafer cookies by nebsco and honey instead if the corn syrup but love they
