These delicious rum balls are a fabulous addition to your holiday cookie tray! Fast and simple to make, this rum balls recipe is an easy, no-bake treat that friends and family will adore. If you are looking for a great traditional holiday cookie, try these scrumptious little rum balls.
Rum Balls Recipe
I do not know about you, but I love rum balls! They are so darned tasty. With the holiday season just around the corner, you may be looking for new takes on traditional holiday cookie recipes. These unique rum balls are easy to make ahead – so no last-minute worrying about what to put on the cookie tray – and store very well.
Tips and variations for making this Rum Balls Recipe:
● This rum balls recipe brings a twist to traditional Rum Balls with a version of the old recipe popularized in the 1980s!
● If you do not have a food processor, you can place the Oreos into a double (two bags, one inserted into the other) zipper gallon storage bags. Close most of the end of those zipper bags (leave it a touch open at the end). Now, either roll those cookies until they are finely crushed with a rolling pin, or smack them with a kitchen mallet.
● You may substitute brandy or bourbon for the rum if you prefer.
● For my UK and Australian friends: confectioners sugar is icing sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
● Decorator sugar can be sanding sugar, sparkling sugar, or large crystal sugar. I get mine at a local Mennonite store that has the biggest selection of sprinkles, sugars, and decorator topping you have ever seen! If you would like to use colored sugar, you can make your own colored sugar by following these step by step instructions. You can use plain old white sugar and these will taste fine and dandy, however I use decorator sugar on my holiday cookies for that extra little but of glitz for the holiday season (I love sparkles! I swear I could have been Rainbow Brite in another life.)
● Let them set for at least a few hours, for best results, store in a covered container in a coll place for a few days.
Rum Balls Ingredients:
● 21 Oreo Cookies
● ½ cup Confectioners sugar
● 1 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
● 3 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
● 2 TBSP Corn Syrup
● 1/3 cup Rum
● Decorator or Granulated White Sugar, garnish
Rum Balls Mise en Place:
● Measuring Spoons
● Measuring Cup
● Bowl
● Spatula
● Food Processor
Rum Balls Directions:
● Place the whole Oreo cookies into a food processor and pulse until finely crushed.
● In a medium bowl, combine Oreo crumbs, ½ cup confectioners sugar, 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, and 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
● Blend in 2 tablespoons of corn syrup and 1/3 cup of rum.
● Wet your hand hands and shape the rum ball dough into balls.
● Roll in decorator or granulated white sugar to coat.
● Place on a parchment or wax paper-covered baking pan to allow to set-up.
● Store covered, in a cool place for several days before serving.
Rum Balls Recipe

These delicious rum balls are a fabulous addition to your holiday cookie tray! Fast and simple to make, this rum balls recipe is an easy, no-bake treat that friends and family will adore. If you are looking for a great traditional holiday cookie, try these scrumptious little rum balls.
Ingredients
- 21 Oreo Cookies
- ½ cup Confectionery sugar
- 1 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
- 3 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 TBSP Corn Syrup
- 1/3 cup Rum
- Decorator or Granulated White Sugar, for garnish
Instructions
• Place whole Oreo cookies in food processor and pulse until finely crushed.
• In a medium bowl, combine Oreo crumbs, confectionery sugar, walnuts and cocoa.
• Blend in corn syrup and rum.
• Wet your hand hands and shape Rum ball dough into balls.
• Roll in decorator or granulated white sugar to coat.
• Place on a parchment or wax paper covered baking pan to allow to set-up.
• Store covered, in a cool place for several days before serving.
If you enjoy no-bake holiday cookies, you may want to try some of these delectable no-bake holiday cookie recipes:
● Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Bites Recipe– These simple to make chocolate truffles come with a fun raspberry surprise inside! A fun addition to your holiday cookie platter, this Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Bites Recipe is truly tasty.
● No Bake Pecan Praline Bourbon Balls Recipe – This crowd-pleasing, easy to make No-Bake Pecan Praline Bourbon Balls are a great cookie to make when you need a lot of cookies for a party or gathering. These delicious cookies are tasty treats that hold up well in the refrigerator.
● No Bake Coconut Balls Recipe – It is a cookie! It is a candy! It is two treats in one. This is an easy to make, creamy, and delicious no-bake coconut ball recipe with a nutty surprise in the middle. These coconut balls are a delightful sweet treat your whole family will enjoy. Yum!
● For more Recipes on Ann’s Entitled Life, click here.
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Rhonda Albom says
We love rum balls. The girls make them every year.
Ann says
I hope you give these a go, Rhonda!
Ann
Debi says
I think I would eat the whole tray in a day
Rhonda says
Made this today and they were sooooo good.
I only used 1/2 the amount of Rum and it was plenty for me.
Can’t wait to share them at the Christmas Party.
Rhonda
Ann says
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Rhonda!
Ann
Karen Fawcett says
Rumballs- I had one for doing a cake by scratch in the microwave and then drying it out. Then when I saw your recipe for using Oreo cookies jumped at it. The ironic thing is they were on sale today so bought two packs. They turned out great. Used the decorating candies on mine. Did these for our New years party. The most difficult part was trying to figure out how to work my processor to chop them and the walnuts up. Thank you for posting this. Been years since I last made any.
Carol says
If we buy the Oreo crumbs how many cups of crumbs is that.
Ann says
21 cookies = approximately 1 1/2 cups of crumbs, Carol.
Ann
Sandy says
Can you not put the walnuts in? I don’t care for walnuts. Thanks
Ann says
Sandy, use some kind of nuts… pecans or almonds, maybe. The taste will be a bit different, but if you do not like walnuts, definitely try a different type f nut!
Ann
Brian says
I am very new at this type of ordeal. I followed the recipe faithfully but they were so sticky I added another 10 Oreos and still they do not keep their shape. Great taste, poor presentation. Ideas?
Ann says
The only reason they’d be too sticky, Brian is too much liquid. They will have a little “stick” to them, and why they are rolled in sugar and allowed to dry. Adding 10 more Oreos would make them so dry they could not hold a shape.
Ann