Chefs Blog in Sydney

Christmas recipes from the Chef – Rum Balls

As the Executive Chef of Mercure Sydney Hotel I thought that I would share some of my favourite Christmas recipes in preparation for the festive season. Over the next few weeks I will bring you recipes, hints and tips to make cooking in the kitchen and entertaining a little easier.

This week we are going to start with one of my all time favourite little treats that my mum used to make back in Ireland. I was always allowed to help her make these but not taste until I was 18! These traditional rum balls are very easy and quick to make (no baking required!), make great Christmas gifts and are perfect for when friends drop round during the silly season.

Rum Balls Recipe 
• 1 packet plain sweet biscuits (Nice, Arrowroot, Marie or Wheat Meal Biscuits)
• 3 tblspns cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2-3 tblspns rum (Bundaberg rum works well)
• 1 cup extra coconut (for rolling finished balls in)

Rum Ball Recipe Method
Finely crush biscuits in a food processor (or you could put them into a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin). Add cocoa power, coconut, sweetened condensed milk and rum to crushed biscuits. Combine all ingredients well (you should end up with a stiff mixture). If it is a particularly hot day, or your mixture isn’t quite stiff enough for the balls to hold their shape, put the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before rolling.

Take large teaspoons of mixture and roll into balls using your hands, then roll balls in extra coconut to coat. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet or shallow plastic container and put in the freezer. Once frozen, put into a container and keep in the freezer until ready to use.

Rum balls will last for weeks in the freezer, so you might want to make a couple of batches, well in advance of Christmas. For a great Christmas gift idea place 5-6 balls into the centre of a square of cellophane, bring ends of cellophane together in a parcel and tie with a ribbon.

If you have some extra time, and want to make your Rum Balls slightly more special, take whole roasted almond or macadamia nuts, encase in the Rum Ball mixture, roll into balls, then dip into melted chocolate and place in the freezer. And one more quick hint, my mum used to leave the rum out of a batch so the little kids could also enjoy them.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and I look forward to seeing you soon at Four Elements restaurant at Mercure Sydney.

Happy cooking!

Paul Kavanagh
Executive Chef
Four Elements Restaurant, Mercure Sydney

Posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2011 - Permalink