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    Home » Recipes » Christmas

    Rum Balls (Dairy-Free)

    Published: Dec 3, 2020 · Modified: Dec 27, 2021 by Sally · 2 Comments

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    An Australian Christmas treat, these traditional rum balls are made using dairy-free alternatives making them the perfect for everyone! Made with just 5 ingredients, these chocolate and coconut balls are the easiest dessert or snack to have on hand in December.

    Dairy-Free Rum Balls
    There is one food that you can count on being on the table at every Australian Christmas party and that’s the classic rum ball. Made with crushed sweet biscuits, cocoa powder, desiccated coconut mixed with condensed milk and flavoured with rum, these treats are one of the easiest things to make and are a total crowd pleaser.

    Since I became dairy-free I have spent many Christmas events unable to enjoy these delicious chocolate and coconut treats. I had completely given up on being able to enjoy treats that were made with sweetened condensed milk as nothing else really comes close to the flavour and texture. That was until I stumbled across a coconut milk version in the supermarket.

    Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
    The sweetened coconut condensed milk can be found with the cans of coconut milk in the Asian foods aisle at Woolworths and is exactly what we need to be able to make a dairy-free version of the classic rum balls.

    The other key ingredient is the biscuit crumbs (or cookie crumbs if you are in the US). Traditionally an Arnotts brand milk arrowroot or marie biscuit is used however both of these contain milk products so I had to find an alternative. As the main flavour of the rum balls is given with the cocoa powder and rum, you want the biscuits to be plain. I therefore decided to use digestive biscuits as they crumble easy and are not too sweet. They worked perfectly!

    Rum Balls with a bite taken
    How to make rum balls

    To make the rum balls, start by crushing your biscuits into a fine crumb. The quickest and easiest way to do this is with a food processor, however a zip lock bag and a rolling pin will also do the job just fine.

    Transfer your biscuit crumbs into a large bowl with the desiccated coconut and cocoa powder and mix together. Add in the condensed coconut milk and the rum and mix together until thick and sticky.

    If you are making these for Christmas and live in Australia, chances are it’s going to be warm the day you’re making these, so to ensure the mixture isn’t too sticky to work with and doesn’t melt, refrigerate your mixture for about 30 minutes before rolling the balls.

    Roll tablespoons of mixture between your hands to form balls and then coat them with more desiccated coconut.

    The heat from your hands will warm the mixture, so I do recommend placing them on a plate in a single layer and refrigerating for another 30 minutes so that they keep their shape before storing.

    Making rum balls by rolling them in desiccated coconut
    How to store rum balls

    Place the made rum balls in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    These rum balls do contain alcohol and are therefore an adults only treat. To make them alcohol free, you can omit the rum and use a teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavour instead. The mixture will be dryer without the extra liquid from the rum so you can omit the chilling step and just roll them into balls straight away.

    There is not really much that can go wrong when making rum balls. They really are one of the easiest treats, making this the perfect recipe for any skill level in the kitchen.

    Rum balls staked on a plate
    If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

    Rum Balls (Dairy-Free)

    An Australian Christmas treat, these traditional rum balls are made using dairy-free alternatives making them the perfect for everyone! Made with just 5 ingredients, these chocolate and coconut balls are the easiest dessert or snack to have on hand in December.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Australian
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Chilling Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 25 balls
    Author: Sally
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    Ingredients

    • 250 grams dairy-free plain sweet biscuits such as digestives
    • 1 cup desiccated coconut
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • 320 gram can sweetened condensed coconut milk
    • ¼ cup rum
    • ½ cup desiccated coconut extra for rolling

    Instructions

    • Using a food processor, crush the biscuits into a fine crumb.
    • Add the biscuits to a large mixing bowl with the coconut and cocoa powder and mix together. Add in the sweetened condensed coconut milk and rum and mix together. Place mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to make the balls easier to roll.
    • Scoop tablespoons of mixture and roll into balls between your hands before rolling them in the extra coconut to coat the outside. Place the rum balls on a plate in a layer in the fridge to firm up, before placing them in an airtight container. Rum balls will last 2 weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.

    Notes

    Traditionally, rum balls use milk arrowroot or arnott's marie biscuits, however as these contain milk products I used digestives instead. Any plain sweet biscuit (or cookie if you’re in the US) will work here.
    If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the biscuits by placing them in a large ziplock bag and carefully banging the biscuits with a rolling pin, moving them around inside the bag, until they resemble a fine crumb.
    I used a dark, spiced rum for these which gives a delicious and rich flavour but any dark rum will work.
    Not from Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide.

    Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

    Have you made this recipe?Leave a comment and a rating below and tag your creations with #eightforestlane on Instagram!
    Not fom Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide

    Save it for later:

    Easy Rum Balls

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    • Rocky Road Cookies
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Georgie

      December 23, 2022 at 7:57 am

      Love this recipe sooooo much! Have been using it for the last two years and it’s so easy, and delicious 🥹

      An absolute hit at our family Christmas with all our vegan and non-vegan loved ones. Thank you so so so sooooo much!

      Ps. Can absolutely make this with a little more rum (I used Kraken Spiced Rum) for extra kick 😅

      Reply
      • Sally

        December 23, 2022 at 8:53 am

        Thanks so much Georgie! Glad you and your family enjoyed them! And yes, I also use Kraken – it’s the best!

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    Hi! I'm Sally and welcome to Eight Forest Lane. Here you will find easy and delicious recipes for any special dietary needs. Let me show you how to make cooking fun! 

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