These Chocolate Rum Balls are bite-size treats infused with dark rum and espresso powder, rich melted chocolate, and coated in crushed Oreo cookie crumbs! The ultimate treat for all the chocolate lovers!
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🗝️ Recipe’s key points
- These chocolate rum balls use only 7 ingredients. You probably already have them at home, especially during the holidays!
- They’re great as sweet treats alongside other festive desserts or as a standalone snack with your favorite hot beverage.
- These small chocolate rum truffles are perfect for portion control. However, I can’t promise you won’t want to eat them all at once!
If you want an easy way to satisfy your chocolate cravings, try these bite-size chocolate rum balls. They are also great for impressing your guests this holiday season. They will leave you wanting more!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Dark Rum – This adds a rich flavor with notes of caramel and vanilla. Go ahead and buy your favorite brand of dark rum or whatever you have in the house.
- Espresso Powder – I use instant espresso powder for a bold coffee flavor, fine texture, and easy dissolving.
- Cream Cheese – Soften at room temperature for easy mixing.
- Ground Almonds – You can buy ground almonds or ground whole almonds in a food processor until you achieve a fine texture.
- Confectioners’ Sugar – This thickens the mixture so that it sets like dough.
- Oreo Cookies – Finely crush your cookies in a food processor or by hand with a rolling pin and Ziploc bag.
- Unsweetened Chocolate – Use your favorite brand of melting chocolate. These chocolate rum balls are pretty sweet, which is why I opt for unsweetened chocolate.
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Gather the coffee and rum in separate bowls.
- Dissolve the coffee granules in warm rum.
- Add the rum mixture to a large mixing bowl with the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and almonds.
- Blend well until smooth.
- Stir in the melted chocolate. See the recipe card for how to melt the chocolate.
- Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour or until it’s firm enough to roll. Take a cookie scoop and shape the mixture into 1-inch balls.
- Roll each ball into the crushed cookies.
- Place the assembled coffee rum balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate. Separate any layers with waxed paper.
🥫 Storage
Store these chocolate rum balls in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve or up to 2 weeks. Separate layers of these dessert balls with waxed paper.
These chocolate rum balls also freeze well for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours and then transfer them to an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Thaw the balls in the fridge to serve again.
📚 Variations
- Cookies: Use any type of chocolate cookie instead of Oreos.
- Gluten-free: Make sure to use certified gluten-free cookies if you are catering to gluten sensitivities.
- Non-alcoholic: Skip the rum and simply dissolve the coffee in hot water if you don’t want any alcohol in your chocolate balls. To simply reduce the alcohol content, use rum extra in the mixture.
- Coating: I enjoy the crunchy texture and taste of crushed Oreos. You can roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles, cocoa powder, or finely chopped nuts. You can also dip them in melted chocolate to coat them.
- Chocolate: White chocolate with crushed Golden Oreos is an easy way to vary these sweet treats!
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Use a cookie scoop to create uniform-sized chocolate rum truffles.
- You can melt the unsweetened chocolate with a double-boiler instead of the microwave method, if you prefer.
- Don’t leave these chocolate rum balls out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. The cream cheese centers can soften quickly. This can make the crunchy crushed Oreo coating wet and soggy.
- Omit the ground almonds if your friends and family have nut allergies. You can replace the almonds with extra crushed cookies.
🤔 FAQs
Absolutely! Aged rums are particularly good with dark chocolate.
Definitely not! There is not enough rum in these chocolate balls to get you drunk. You may need to eat the entire batch in one go, which is tempting considering how delicious they are!
When you add melted chocolate to the coffee rum cream cheese mixture, do not add it directly to the rum. This can cause the melted chocolate to seize.
Yes. These chocolate rum balls will last for up to 3 months in the freezer and you can thaw them in the fridge before you serve them again.
I don’t think these will last long in anyone’s home because they are so tasty. However, if you can resist, they should stay good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Chocolate Truffle Bites – These rich and chewy chocolate truffles are made with just three ingredients! The festive sprinkles make them the perfect homemade candy this Christmas.
- Homemade Chocolate Turtles – The sweet caramel chocolate Rolo candy with salty pretzels and toasted pecans make these chocolate turtles some of the easiest treats you’ll ever attempt at home.
- Million Dollar Fudge – A classic fudge recipe combined with marshmallow creme, melted chocolate, and chopped pecans. It’s no wonder it’s called “Million Dollar” fudge!
🍽 What to serve with chocolate rum balls
These chocolate rum balls are irresistible bite-sized treats that you can enjoy as a sweet snack during the day or post dinner.
Serve them with a scoop of coffee ice cream, rich chocolate ice cream, or plain vanilla ice cream.
They also pair beautifully with hot chocolate or coffee!
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make these rum balls successfully.
- Hand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Dry measuring cup
- liquid measuring cup
- Small microwave-safe bowl
- Food processor
- Parchment paper
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
I can’t help but think about how these little treasures remind me of the holiday magic my Mamma made in her kitchen. For me, this rum ball recipe is more than a candy recipe — it’s a nod to the Italian love for coffee-flavored desserts. The rich mix of chocolate and a touch of espresso makes these treats taste like fancy truffles.
There’s something exceptional about sharing delicious dolci (sweets) with loved ones, especially when they come from cherished family traditions. Whether you serve them at a party or enjoy them at home, these sweet treats will brighten your memories together.
Buon appetito, and may your holiday season be as sweet and joyful as a plate full of chocolate rum balls.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
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cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Indulgent Chocolate Rum Balls with an Espresso Twist
These chocolate rum balls are a dream come true for dessert lovers! Each bite is a little piece of heaven, infused with dark rum and espresso powder and wrapped in crushed Oreo crumbs.
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Servings: 36 rum balls
Calories: 75kcal
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules
- ¼ cup dark rum warmed
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate melted * (see notes)
- 8 Oreo cookies finely crushed
Instructions
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Dissolve coffee granules in warm rum. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
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Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, almonds and rum mixture until blended.
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Stir in melted chocolate. (See notes below on how to melt the chocolate).
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Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
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Shape mixture into 1-in. balls; roll in crushed cookies.
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Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, separating layers with waxed paper.
Notes
- Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave for 30 seconds on 30% power. Stir well and microwave in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- If only a few lumps remain in the melted chocolate, microwave for only 15 seconds on 30% power.
How to get the crunch: Roll these truffle-like rum balls in crushed Oreos to get just the right amount of crunch. They can be made three days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I also tuck some in the freezer!
Nutrition
Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
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