CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS: Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day! Arrggh! So in honor of the day, make Chocolate Rum Balls. Every Pirate's favorite treat! Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!

CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS

Ingredients
1 cup chopped dark chocolate
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups vanilla wafers, crushed
1 cup crushed walnuts
1/4 cup DARK cocoa powder

Directions
Melt chocolate in double boiler or saucepan over saucepan over simmering water.
Sift 1/2 cup of powdered sugar over melted chocolate. Add corn syrup, rum, and salt. Whisk until sugar dissolves, rum is incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Add crushed wafers and walnuts. Stir with spatula or wooden spoon until incorporated. It will be crumbly.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
To shape rum balls, put cocoa powder and remaining 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in separate bowls and keep nearby.
Use spoon or melon baller to scoop cooled mixture and roll into 1-inch ball. Mixture will be crumbly and hard but will come together in your hands.
Coat rum ball with powdered sugar or cocoa powder and repeat with rest of the mixture.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Rum balls improve in flavor as days go by.

Chocolate Rum Balls: National Rum Day

Today is National Rum Day. I posted this recipe last year for a Rum Celebration, and it deserves a repeat appearance! I'm all about retro, and perhaps the most popular retro chocolate and rum recipe is for Chocolate Rum Balls!


Traditional Rum Balls contain crushed wafers or cookies, but this recipe is for a Chocolate Rum Ball that is more like a truffle, made with a rum ganache--recipe from Alex Guarneschelli of the Food Network. Yes, she's one of the judges  on Chopped and has her own show The Cooking Loft.

These chocolate rum balls are simple and quick to make. I usually chill my rum balls at the end. Either way, it works. I especially like that she uses three different types of chocolate in these Chocolate Rum Balls: Two in the ganache itself and then chocolate sprinkles to coat. Maybe that's why I like these Rum Balls so much, and they're so easy!

CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS

Ingredients
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1 stick sweet butter, cut into small pieces
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
Chocolate sprinkles, for rolling

Directions
1. In medium bowl, combine the 2 types of chocolate and melt over a double boiler. (Or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.) Whisk in butter pieces. Whisk in sugar and rum.
2. Put sprinkles in bowl. Roll chocolate mixture into small balls, about 1 1/2 inches each. Roll them in sprinkles until fully coated. Store in airtight container.

Photo: Food Network

Chocolate Rum Balls

Yesterday was National Rum Day. I posted a recipe for Chocolate Fudge from a 1941 Ronrico Rum pamphlet of recipes. Definitely worth a try. Well, here's a recipe for a second day of Rum Celebration. Perhaps the most popular retro chocolate and rum recipe is for Chocolate Rum Balls! 

Traditional Rum Balls contain crushed wafers or cookies, but this recipe is for a Chocolate Rum Ball that is more like a truffle, made with a rum ganache--recipe from Alex Guarneschelli of the Food Network. Yes, she's one of the judges  on Chopped and has her own show The Cooking Loft. These chocolate rum balls are simple and quick to make. I usually chill my rum balls at the end. Either way, it will work. I especially like that she uses three different types of chocolate in these Chocolate Rum Balls: Two in the ganache itself and then chocolate sprinkles to coat. Maybe that's why I like them so much!

CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS

Ingredients
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1 stick sweet butter, cut into small pieces
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
Chocolate sprinkles, for rolling

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 types of chocolate and melt over a double boiler. (Or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water.) Whisk in the butter pieces. Whisk in the sugar and the rum.
2. Put the sprinkles in a bowl. Roll the chocolate mixture into small balls, about 1 1/2 inches each. Roll them in the sprinkles until they are fully coated. Store them in an airtight container.

Photo: Food Network