American·Dessert
Chocolate Rum Snowballs
A festive, no-bake holiday treat featuring a fudge-like center made from crushed cookies, dark rum, and chocolate chips, finished with a wintry coating of powdered sugar or a white chocolate and coconut shell.
Prep
20m
Cook
—
Total
20m
Serves
24
Method
- 01
Place the vanilla wafer cookies into a food processor and pulse until broken down. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chips. Pulse until the mixture is finally ground and uniform.
Watch · 0:42
- 02
Add the maple syrup and the dark rum. Pulse the mixture on and off. Initially, it may look dry, but continue pulsing until it forms a stiff, moldable dough that holds together when squeezed. If it remains too crumbly after several pulses, add rum one teaspoon at a time.
Watch · 1:35
- 03
Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Scoop out small portions and roll them between your palms into smooth, uniform balls about 1 inch in diameter. For the fancy white chocolate version, chill the rolled balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before coating.
Watch · 2:30
- 04
For the classic snowball finish, toss the room-temperature rum balls in a bowl of powdered sugar until heavily coated. Alternatively, you can roll them in cocoa powder for a darker look.
Watch · 3:11
- 05
For the fancy coconut version, melt white chocolate over a double boiler. Use two forks to dip a chilled rum ball into the chocolate, let the excess drip off, then immediately roll in shredded coconut. Press the coconut gently to adhere.
Watch · 3:52
- 06
Place the finished snowballs on a tray and refrigerate until firm. For the best flavor development, store them in an airtight container for at least 24 hours before serving.
Watch · 5:33
From Chef John
“Nobody and I mean nobody wants a saggy chocolate rum snowball.”
“It's not enough to make you giggle, but it is enough to make you smile.”
“You are after all the boss or whether to serve these balls on Moss.”