Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

billie sue's secret (no bake) rum balls

Recipe by
Renée G.
Uptown, AR

One of our Red Hat Society members would always bring these to share throughout the year, but was adamant about not letting anyone know her recipe. One day a few years later, I was at her sister's house and looking through her recipe box for a few recipes to include in a cookbook we were compiling as a fund raiser, and right there in plain sight was Billie Sue's Rum Ball recipe. And...you can bet your boots I not only copied it, but also included it in our cookbook.

yield serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For billie sue's secret (no bake) rum balls

  • 9 oz. vanilla wafers/cookies, or plain chocolate cookies
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 (14 oz. can) sweetened condensed milk (i use borden’s)
  • 4 - 5 tablespoons rum, more or less (i use captain morgan’s spiced rum)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup of granulated or powdered sugar, cocoa powder or chopped nuts, for rolling

How To Make billie sue's secret (no bake) rum balls

  • 1
    Set up a work station with a large Ziplock bag and rolling pin (or a food processor); a large bowl for mixing; and a shallow bowl with ¾ cup of granulated or powdered sugar, cocoa powder or chopped nuts, for rolling. Place the cookies in Ziplock bag, seal and crush with the rolling pin. Alternatively, crush in the food processor until fine crumbs form. It's ok if there are some slightly larger pieces.
  • 2
    Add the crushed cookies, cocoa powder, condensed milk, rum and vanilla to the large bowl. Mix the ingredients well using a wooden spoon, then your hands if it gets too thick. (If mixture is too thick, mix in 1-2 tablespoons milk; if too wet, add a tablespoon or two of cocoa).
  • 3
    Scoop out a tablespoonful of mixture and roll into a 1 - 1 ½ inch ball, then roll in sugar, powdered cocoa or chopped/toasted nuts, until completely covered. Place on a baking sheet or tray and repeat until all the mixture has been rolled into balls.
  • 4
    Allow to sit out overnight for rum balls to “get happy,” then, store covered in refrigerator.
  • 5
    Store in fridge in closed container until ready to serve.
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