Spiced Rum Balls

Boozy no-bake cookies with winter greenery in the background

Susannah Brinkley Henry

Spiced Rum Balls are a holiday delight! Made from crushed cookies, chopped pecans, cocoa powder, real spiced rum, honey and vanilla, these gorgeous treats are perfect for cookie swaps and holiday parties.

Course Dessert

Cuisine European

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 0

Total Time 30

Servings balls

Calories 143kcal

Author Susannah Brinkley Henry

Ingredients

3 cups crushed Biscoff cookies
¾ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
½ cup spiced rum
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup toppings such as powdered sugar, cocoa powder, sprinkles, shredded coconut or more chopped pecans

Instructions

Place the cookie crumbs, powdered sugar, cocoa and chopped pecans in a large bowl.
3 cups crushed Biscoff cookies, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
Add the spiced rum, vanilla extract and honey. Stir together until combined and it forms a thick dough.
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup spiced rum, 3 tablespoons honey
Use a 1-2 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop or spoon to form evenly sized balls. Roll together in your palms.
Serve as is, or roll in your favorite toppings, such as powdered sugar, cocoa powder, sprinkles, shredded coconut or more chopped pecans.

Notes

Best rum for rum balls

Spiced rum is recommended for these rum balls, but you can use white rum, dark rum or aged rum instead. But if you do, make sure you use the crumbs of spiced cookies like Biscoff, Speculoos or gingersnaps for spiced flavor.

If you have a favorite spiced rum brand, feel free to use it in these rum balls. You can’t go wrong with Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, Cruzan or Kraken.

Biscoff Cookie Substitute

Can't find Lotus Biscoff Cookies? Look for another type of spiced cookie instead, such as Speculoos, gingersnaps, gingerbread cookies or cinnamon graham crackers.

Variations

Rum balls without nuts: If you need to make a nut-free version, substitute an additional 1 cup cookie crumbs for the nuts.

Non-alcoholic bourbon balls: Try them with a non-alcoholic rum such as Ritual rum alternative.

With other nuts: These would work with walnuts instead of pecans.

Different cookie base: Instead of Biscoff cookies, you can use crumbs from gingersnap crumbs, Nilla wafers, chocolate wafers or graham crackers. But if using a different type of cookie, be sure to use spiced rum to get as much spiced flavor as possible.

Gluten-free bourbon balls: Use crumbs from your favorite gluten-free ginger cookies. (I’ve enjoyed the Partake brand recently.)

Other sweeteners: Swap the honey for maple syrup or agave nectar if you prefer a plant-based sweetener.

Nutrition

Find more recipes at feastandwest.com