My Grandma always made these Rum Balls and they’re definitely a favorite in our family. Best of all, they need only 4 ingredients and no baking required!
Spread some holiday cheer to your adult friends. These treats pack a punch that makes the cookie tray season just a little bit brighter!
This rum balls recipe is definitely a tradition that I look forward to every holiday season. My Grandma made legendary rum balls, known far and wide by everyone that loved her.
The secret is how easy they are with just 4 ingredients (plus sprinkles). They’re so good and last for a couple of weeks in the fridge making them perfect for gifting too.
Just 4 Ingredients!
- The base of this recipe is Oreo cookies (including the middles).
- Walnuts are crushed and added to the mix. If you can’t use nuts, swap in some graham crumbs (or crushed vanilla wafers) but you’ll need to add some extra cream. (Even if you don’t like walnuts, I’d recommend giving them a try in this recipe). Pecans would be a suitable substitution.
- Rum is what gives these rum balls a slightly boozy spiced flavor. Use dark rum for the best results (and use the leftover rum to spike your eggnog). (Swap out the rum and make bourbon balls if you’d prefer).
- Heavy cream gives these just the right consistency.
How to Make Rum Balls
1. Crush the Oreo cookies and walnuts per the recipe below. I pulse them in a food processor (which makes this super fast and easy) but you can place them in a freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin. They should be crushed quite fine.
2. Add in cream and rum to get a consistency that sticks together. Keep in mind that the mixture will soak up the liquid and thicken a tiny bit more as they sit.
3. Roll into balls and then roll in sprinkles. Use a small cookie scoop to make even 1-inch balls. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate at least 48 hours before serving (longer is better).
To Make Rum Balls WITHOUT Rum, substitute the rum for 1 teaspoon of rum extract. You may need a little bit extra cream.
Tips & Tricks
When making Rum Balls for the holidays, here are a few tricks to make them taste almost as good as my grandma’s (the only thing that is missing is the love she poured into hers).
- Use dark rum for rum balls, it adds the best flavor.
- Make sure you crush the ingredients before measuring for accuracy
- Chop or process the nuts so they are fairly fine but still have a few little chunks. You don’t want them too fine (or to turn into a peanut butter consistency).
- To make these alcohol free, substitute the rum for 1 teaspoon extract (add extra cream if needed).
- Once all of the ingredients are combined, ensure they form a ball that holds its shape and isn’t too soft. If you find your mixture to be very soft, crush a few more cookies (any kind o hard cookie if you run out of Oreos) and stir them in.
- IMPORTANT: To decorate, place just a small amount of sprinkles in a bowl and roll the rum ball pressing to stick. The sprinkles can get oily and won’t stick so work in small batches.
While we’ve always had them dipped in chocolate sprinkles, you can dip them in anything you like from coconut or cocoa powder to sprinkles or chopped chocolate. Don’t skip the 2 days of sitting, it adds a lot of extra flavor to these!
More No Bake Christmas Desserts
- Cookie Balls
- Caramel Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
- Ritz Cracker Thin Mints
- Chocolate Cashew Clusters
- Fantasy Fudge
- Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Pecan Christmas Crack
- Easy Microwave Caramels
Did you enjoy these Rum Balls? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy 4 Ingredient Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 3 cups crushed Oreos whole cookies including the middles
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- ¼ to ⅓ cup dark rum
Optional Coatings
- sprinkles cocoa powder
- coconut flakes chopped nuts
Instructions
- Pulse Oreos in a food processor until you have 3 cups. Set aside.
- Pulse walnuts in a food processor until you have 1 ½ cups.
- Combine crushed Oreos, walnuts, cream in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Add rum starting with ¼ cup and adding more if needed to create a consistency that holds its shape when rolled. (If you add too much and they are too soft, add in more cookie crumbs to get desired consistency, note that the crumbs do soak up the liquids as they sit).
- Using a small scoop (or melon baller) scoop dough and roll into balls.
- Roll in sprinkles. Refrigerate 2 days before serving.
Notes
- Use dark rum for rum balls, it adds the best flavor.
- Make sure you crush the ingredients before measuring for accuracy
- Chop or process the nuts so they are fairly fine but still have a few little chunks. You don't want them too fine (or to turn into a peanut butter consistency).
- To make these alcohol-free, substitute the rum for 1 teaspoon extract (add extra cream if needed).
- Once all of the ingredients are combined, ensure they form a ball that holds its shape and isn't too soft. If you find your mixture to be very soft, crush a few more cookies (any kind o hard cookie if you run out of Oreos) and stir them in.
- To decorate, place just a small amount of sprinkles in a bowl and roll the rum ball pressing to stick. The sprinkles can get oily and won't stick so work in small batches.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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I just made these and they came out delicious. I used the Whole Foods Oreos and coated them with coconut. Really good with a nice rum flavor.
Thank you for leaving a comment, glad you liked them!
So good I just made some. Instead of rum I used TN bourbon. So easy to make. I put them in little trifle cup cake holders to give out for the holidays. Adorable and very tasty.
I will certainly make again! Followed your recipe exactly except of the type of alcohol, (I did not have any rum). Still wonderful!
Your version sounds delicious Dora! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
After mixing ingredients per recipe, we were able to roll into balls but they were very “oily”. Nuts wouldn’t stick to them, only icing sugar. We added up to 12 more oreo cookies and still was oily. Can’t figure out why. We used unwhipped whipping cream. Any ideas?
We use heavy cream for this recipe which has a higher fat content which may affect it but it sounds like they might have just been a bit too warm. Maybe try chilling the rum balls slightly before rolling in the coating to help the fat from the heavy cream solidify slightly.