They're chocolatey, they're creamy, they're boozy - they're vegan rum balls! Such a phenomenal, flavor-packed treat that's perfect for the holidays. Made with real whole foods, gluten-free, without added oil or added refined sugar (just what's in the chocolate chips or bar). Not doing alcohol? No problem - there's an alcohol-free version included!
When I was in high school, my friends and I had a phase when we would run down to the local bakery after school and get a treat. That's where I discovered that rum balls were a thing. These babies were golf ball-sized spheres of chocolatey goodness that had kind of a slightly chewy, cakey-cookie dough ganache center and smacked of rum. They were not the chocolate kisses I'd grown up with. My food world opened up a notch. I was smitten. I had to take each one home in a box so that I could slowly savor every bite. Pure bliss. Yeah, maybe the bakery should have thought to card me - they were pretty potent! Probably a good thing I waited until I was home to eat it.
Alas, I've never had one since. I just haven't seen them. So it's been a delight to create a dairy-free version of that rum ball I remember. They have that texture and flavor that I recall, soft and a bit like chocolate mousse with a little cake in it. My husband is particularly drawn to the tiramisu-like finish.
Did I mention these are nutrient-packed rum balls? Check out the ingredients. Yep, nutrient-dense vegan rum balls are now a thing!
Ingredients
I love that these rum balls are made with minimally-processed ingredients.
- raw cashews
- almond meal/flour
- oat flour
- 70% chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- maple syrup
- almond butter
- dark spiced rum
- cacao powder
- salt
If making these alcohol-free, you will need the following instead of the rum (choose an alcohol-free version of the extracts, if desired):
- vanilla extract or powder
- almond extract
Instructions
I'm also happy to report that these vegan rum balls are easy to make! These are the key steps involved:
- Soak cashews at least two hours to soften, which adds creaminess
- Combine the dry ingredients
- Melt the chocolate
- Blend the wet ingredients
- Combine everything
- Add the rum
- Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours to set
- Prepare to shape the set mixture into balls and roll in cacao
- Serve, refrigerate, or freeze
Helpful tips
Here are some helpful tips to be aware of ahead of time:
- Have all the ingredients in-hand to prepare the "cookie-dough ganache" the night before. Once all the ingredients are mixed, they set overnight.
- I life to use Divine 70% Bittersweet Chocolate, the 5.3-oz baking bar. Divine is right! If you can't find it, though, an equal amount of any bittersweet bar or even chocolate chips will work fine - keep in mind semi-sweet chips will tend to have sugar added so the balls will end up sweeter.
- Any rum in the cupboard will do, but I recommend a dark spiced rum for a full-flavor experience. Have you tried The Kraken? It's a vegan rum and I love it! (Yes, part of my love for it is the packaging, but it's a delicious rum, too!).
- Want an alcohol-free version? Replace the rum with a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and a ½ teaspoon almond extract along with ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
- Heads up: the raw cashews need to soak for a couple hours ahead of time.
- When it's time to roll the "ganache-dough" in cacao powder, place a few tablespoons of cacao in the center of a dish and roll the ball of ganache-dough in the powder. Once covered in caco, tap the rum ball on an empty spot of the plate to release excess cacao.
- Size them as you'd like. The figures here are for a bit smaller than a golf ball.
- These rum balls are soft and easy to eat. The ball holds firm so that you can pick them up, yet they are soft enough to take a bite. They're also very easy to eat with a fork, perfect for a romantic dinner!
Note
Are you surprised to learn that there are wines, beers, and other much-enjoyed drinks that seem like they'd be vegan but aren't? Yeah. I was surprised, too. Rather than getting into the gory details here, I recommend you google it. On a brighter note, I recently came across a website that is dedicated to helping people find their favorite alcohol in animal-free form: Barnivore! Thank you, Barnivore!
More chocolate:
You can find more tasty chocolate recipes here.
The Recipe
Vegan Rum Balls
Equipment
- blender
- Double-boiler or small pots and pans
- Mixer (stand or hand)
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews raw
- ¾ cup water filtered, to soak the cashews
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt pink or sea salt recommended
- 5.3 oz bittersweet chocolate 70%, or equivalent chocolate chips (about a half bag)
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons almond butter
- 7 tablespoons rum spiced dark recommended
- 3-5 tablespoons cacao powder
For an alcohol-free version, replace the rum with the following:
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if needed, use alcohol-free/vanilla powder
- ½ teaspoon almond extract if needed, use alcohol-free
- 7 tablespoons maple syrup or ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons
Instructions
- Soak cashews. Place the raw cashews in a jar or bowl with enough water to cover, about ¾ cup water. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Dry ingredients. Place the almond and oat flours and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. With a fork or the paddle of the stand mixer, stir until mixed.
- Chocolate. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate on medium-low. (Don't have one? You can make one with a small pan or pot sitting in another pan filled with about an inch of water.) Stir the chocolate until all is melted.
- Wet ingredients. Strain the cashews and place them in a blender. Warm water in a teapot until steaming and add ½ cup to the cashews. Blend on high until creamy. Add the maple syrup and almond butter. If making an alcohol-free version, add the extra maple syrup and extracts now. Blend until well mixed.
- Combine. Place the chocolate on top of the dry ingredients, using a spatula to get as much as possible out of the pan. Then pour the wet ingredients, with the help of a spatula, over the chocolate and stir with the stand mixer paddle or a hand mixer just until combined.
- Add rum. Stir gently while adding the rum, just until well disbursed.
- Refrigerate. Place the mixture in the fridge with a towel to cover. Let set overnight, at least 6 hours. The ganache should be firm enough to hold a ball form. If it warms up too much while working, stick it back in the fridge until it's firm again.
- Cacao station. Pour a few tablespoons of cacao in the center of a large plate. Set it next to the ganache-filled mixing bowl.
- Form the balls. Have a towel handy for your soon-to-be-chocolatey hands. Using a measuring tablespoon, scoop two tablespoons of ganache and form into a ball. Roll the ball in the cacao powder until covered. Drop the ball on a clean part of the plate a few times to remove excess powder. Set the finished ball on a serving plate or in a glass container to store in the fridge. Repeat until all the ganache has been used. Add more cacao powder to the cacao station if necessary.
- Serve. Serve immediately or store in the fridge. Can be made a day or two ahead, but watch out - they may disappear before then.
Notes
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