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!
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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
Recipe card
Easy Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 3 and ½ oz (100 g) vanilla wafers (e.g. Nilla wafers or any plain shortbread biscuits)
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (50 g) raisins
- 3 Tbsp walnuts (ground or grated)
- 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp 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
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