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    Home » Desserts

    Easy Rum Balls with Nuts

    Published: Dec 13, 2021 · Modified: Dec 9, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This is a Czech recipe for delicious, no-bake rum balls. Czechs traditionally make them at Christmas, but they are perfect for any holiday season. Everyone loves them!

    Rum balls served on a platter.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ How to Make Rum Balls
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Storage
    ➜ How Long do Rum Balls Last?
    ➜ Useful Tips
    Easy Rum Balls

    These rum balls taste seriously outstanding. They contain grated walnuts and raisins, which give them a juicy touch.

    Czechs translate rum balls as “rumove kulicky” (correctly spelled “rumové kuličky”).

    MY TIP: Don’t miss Kokosky, Czech coconut meringue cookies!

    ➜ Ingredients

    Listed ingredients for rum balls.

    To make rum balls, you'll need:

    • Vanilla wafers; e.g., Nilla wafers, or other plain shortbread biscuits. Czechs use piškoty cookies to make rum balls.
    • Unsalted butter; take it out from the refrigerator for about half an hour to soften
    • Powdered sugar
    • Ground nuts; I like to use walnuts for their intense flavor. Hazelnuts or almonds are just as good.
    • Dark cocoa powder; unsweetened
    • Rum; Czech classic is "tuzemák" or "Božkov". If you are based in the US, I recommend Kirkland spiced rum (available at Costco) or Austrian Stroh 54 – these types taste similar to Czech "tuzemák" rum.
    • Coconut; dried, unsweetened and shredded, for coating

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ How to Make Rum Balls

    STEP 1: First, grind or crush the wafers (photo 1). Grate/grind the nuts. Coarsely chop the raisins with a chef's knife (photo 2).

    STEP 2: Place the crushed wafers, nuts, sugar, cocoa powder, and raisins in a bowl. Pour in the rum and add the butter. Make a soft dough. Start with a fork, continue with your hands. Or use a food processor if you have one.

    Preparing rum balls.

    STEP 3: Pour shredded coconut on baking paper or a wide cutting board. Pinch off the dough's equal-sized pieces and shape into balls between your palms. The size of each ball should be about 1 inch (2,5 cm) in diameter. Roll the ball in coconut on all sides.

    Making rum balls and coating them in shredded coconut.

    ➜ Serving

    Arrange the rum balls on a platter and serve. Always serve a quantity only that will soon be eaten up. Keep in mind that the balls require to be stored refrigerated.

    ➜ Storage

    Place the finished balls in an airtight container lined with baking paper. Also, cover the balls from the top with it. Close the box with the lid and store it in a cool, dry place. A refrigerator is a good idea!

    ➜ How Long do Rum Balls Last?

    The rum balls will last about a week from when you prepare them. The condition is that you store them in a cool, dry place, and in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out.

    Rum balls arranged on a platter.

    ➜ Useful Tips

    • I prefer to grind wafers and nuts on a conventional hand grinder with a cheese grating insert. Further, you can crush the wafers with a rolling pin between a folded sheet of baking paper.
    • For a festive presentation, place the balls in small paper cups. They will look amazing on the table!
    • The dough for the rum balls should be softer and slightly wet on the surface. It won't crumble, and the coconut will stick to it nicely when you roll it.

    More Czech sweets:

    • Linzer cookies – linecke cukrovi
    • Vanilla crescents – vanilkove rohlicky
    • Walnut-shaped cookies – orechy
    • No bake mushroom cookies – mandlove hribky

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Rum balls served on a plate.

    Easy Rum Balls

    This is a Czech recipe for delicious, no-bake rum balls. Czechs traditionally make them at Christmas, but they are perfect for any holiday season. Everyone loves them!
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 35 pcs
    Calories: 62kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech Christmas

    Ingredients

    • 3 and ½ ounces vanilla wafers (100 g) e.g. Nilla wafers or any plain shortbread biscuits
    • 1 stick unsalted butter (113 g)
    • ⅔ cup powdered sugar (80 g)
    • ⅓ cup raisins (50 g)
    • 3 Tablespoons walnuts ground or grated
    • 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
    • 3 Tablespoons spiced rum
    • ½ cup coconut dried, shredded, unswetened

    Instructions

    • First, grind or crush the wafers. Grate the nuts. Coarsely chop the raisins with a chef's knife.
    • Place the crushed wafers, nuts, sugar, cocoa powder, and raisins in a bowl. Pour in the rum and add the butter. Make a soft dough. Start with a fork, continue with your hands. Or use a food processor if you have one.
    • Pour shredded coconut on baking paper or a wide cutting board. Pinch off the dough's equal-sized pieces and shape into balls between your palms. The size of each ball should be about 1 inch (2,5 cm) in diameter.
    • Roll the ball in coconut on all sides.

    Notes

    • Makes about 35 rum balls.
    • Wich rum to use? Czech classic is "tuzemák" or "Božkov". If you are based in the US, I recommend Kirkland spiced rum (available at Costco) or Austrian Stroh 54.
    • STORAGE: Place the finished balls in an airtight container lined with baking paper. Also, cover the balls from the top with it. Close the box with the lid and store it in a cool, dry place. A refrigerator is a good idea!
    • The rum balls will last about a week from when you prepare them. The condition is that you store them in a cool, dry place, and in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out.
    • For a festive presentation, place the balls in small paper cups. They will look amazing on the table!

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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