Holiday balls! [insert crude joke here] Ridiculously easy (though slightly time consuming), and totally delicious.
I bought this bottle of Molasses Rum after trying some at a local tasting, and knew that there would be a bajillion things I could bake with it. But rum balls are fitting with it being the holiday season and all, and it totally highlights the rum itself. They’re decadent, beautiful, and strong - just the way I like ‘em.
You start by making a very basic brownie recipe, baking it in a rimmed sheet pan instead of a square brownie pan (mainly so it takes less time to bake and to cool), and then crumble it into a mixer and add your rum! Or alcohol of choice, really - these would be great with bourbon, creme de cacao, kahlua, bailey’s - really any liquor or liqueur that you enjoy drinking would be tasty in these.
Happy Baking!
Adapted from Martha Stewart
MAKES a ton (approximately 48)
INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES
1.5 sticks butter
1 cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (6oz)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (105g)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (if using table salt use a little more than 1/4 teaspoon)
3 eggs
3/4 cup AP flour (90g)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Molasses Rum (or your alcohol of choice)
Sprinkles, coarse sanding sugar, or decor of your choice for rolling
Microwave safe mixing bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Aluminum foil & spray/butter/shortening
12x17 rimmed baking sheet (yes, it has to be rimmed, and this size is about a half-sheet pan. If you don’t have one you can bake these in a 9x13 or a 9x9/8x8, but bake and cool times will be longer - bake until it’s set and a tester in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs attached.)
Stand mixer
Mini cookie scoop (about 1.25” across - the small size of this)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your 12x17 sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray with baking spray or grease the bottom with butter or shortening.
Melt your 1.5 sticks of butter and 6oz chopped chocolate in the microwave for one minute. Stir until as combined as possible, then microwave in 20 second intervals stirring in between until fully melted and combined.
Whisk in 105g dark brown sugar (1/2c), 1tsp vanilla, and 1/2tsp coarse salt.
Add 3 eggs one at a time, whisking to thoroughly combine after each.
Fold in 90g AP flour until no traces of flour remain.
Bake 10 minutes, then cool completely.
Crumble your baked brownies into your stand mixer, then run on low for a minute or so until completely broken up.
Add 1/4c + 2TB Molasses Rum (or your alcohol of choice) and mix on low-medium until a thick batter is formed.
Scoop rum balls with your cookie scoop onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Roll them in your hands to form a ball, then roll them in sprinkles or sanding sugar (or whatever you want) and return to the cookie sheet. Doing this with all of them might take you 20-45 minutes, depending on how distracted you are by whatever’s on TV, and how much of a perfectionist you are.
Chill at least 1 hour before serving. These are best eaten when cold, and will keep up to two weeks in the fridge, or indefinitely in the freezer. They’re pretty delicious eaten straight from the freezer too...
