Jingle My Balls
We’ve all seen jars of spirits such as homemade coffee liqueur and various other flavored vodkas given as holiday gifts. Those often sit in my liquor cabinet just looking pretty in decorative bottles. However, no one can resist Rum and Bourbon flavored candies! These Rum and Bourbon balls will be much more appreciated and definitely won’t sit around until 2014. Put them in little candy wrappers, in gift boxes or tins for extra festive fun.
Pumpkin Rum Balls
My sister made these pumpkin spiced Rum balls for our Thanksgiving this year and they were fought over to the last one.
- 50 Vanilla Wafers
- 3/4 cup Pecans
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Ground cloves
- 1/3 cup Spiced Rum (like 2012 NY International Spirits Competition Silver Award WinnerSailor Jerry)
- 3 Tbs Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar for rolling
Process vanilla wafers in food processor until cookies become fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can get by using your blender with small batches of cookies at a time. Or do it the old-fashioned way by putting cookies in a bag and smacking them with a rolling pin until they are crushed.
Set aside cookie crumbs in a large bowl.
Process nuts in food processor until finely chopped.
Add nuts to the bowl with vanilla wafer crumbs.
Add powdered sugar and spices and mix well.
In a separate small bowl, mix Rum and puree.
Add Rum puree mixture to dry ingredients, stirring well to blend all together.
Place ¼ cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Using a tablespoon, scoop out evenly sized portions of the mixture and roll in between your hands to form balls.
Roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
Chill the rum balls in fridge for at least an hour.
Bourbon Balls
Inspired by a recipe from an old (1967) Willett Distilling Co. cookbook, these’ll make whiskey lovers even out of your tea-totallin’ family members.
- 1 cup Finely Crushed Vanilla Wafers
- 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons White Corn Syrup (I often substitute cane syrup)
- 2 ounces Bourbon
Same as above for the Rum Balls, process wafers to make fine crumbs.
Mix wafers, sugar, cocoa and nuts.
Dissolve syrup in Bourbon and add to dry ingredients.
Mix well and form into small balls.
Rolls balls in powdered sugar.
Box and store in a cool place.