Run balls have always been the essence of Christmas. These dark and chocolaty balls are filled with the flavors of rum and Christmas cake spice mix. They are rum-infused brownie balls and treats mainly for adults. It can be seen in every platter and buffet during the holiday season. Read to find How long will rum balls last in the fridge.
Store-bought rum balls may taste good but they can never beat the homemade ones. Rum balls, be they bought from a bakery or homemade, would go bad without proper storage. Since they are always prepared days before they are consumed, it saves personal time during parties and gatherings. Their taste also seems to improve as their interiors marinated in the rum.
How to Make Rum balls?
The ingredients for making a classic rum ball are:
- Unsalted butter
- Semisweet chocolate
- Eggs
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Coarse sanding sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Dark rum
The instructions for making rum balls are:
- Butter and chocolate are melted over a pot of water.
- The eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, salt are added to the mixture.
- Then they are baked in an oven.
- The brownies are then broken and mixed in rum until they form balls.
- These balls are coated in sanding sugar and then refrigerated.
Rum balls are truffle-like cookies that can be made either with real rum or rum extract.
How to make Rum?
The molasses and sugar are dissolved in hot water. Then they are cooled and hydrated yeast is added to them. The mixture is left to ferment for two to three days. Then it is chilled to make the yeast settle at the bottom of the bucket. The rum is finally distilled through a siphon into a collection tank.
Types of Rum Used
There has been an age-long debate on the best rum used for these rum balls. Some people prefer the taste of molasses while others dislike it. Cruzan Blackstrap is an affordable and good rum with the taste of molasses. Those who want to avoid the taste of molasses can use Mount Gay, Appleton, or El Dorado rum.
The rum and the mixture that is used in making these rum balls have a high content of sugar in them. There are wild strains of yeast present in it that continue the fermentation process by producing more ethanol. As a result, these rum balls taste stronger or more alcoholic after they are stored.
How to Freeze Rum Balls?
Rum balls need to be prepared ahead of time and then frozen before consumption. These are a few helpful tips:
- To make sure the rum balls are completely cooled before refrigerating them.
- During refrigeration, freezing entire batches altogether ensures the balls being moist insides. The lesser the surface area, the less they would dry out or get freezer burn.
- Usage of high-quality freezer container.
- To defrost before unwrapping to avoid the condensation to stay on the wrapper instead of on the balls. The rum balls should be thawed in the fridge first.
How long can Rum Balls be stored?
Rum balls should be stored at the coldest section of a refrigerator for a period of 2 days to 2 weeks. This allows all of their flavors to develop fully. Truffles are frozen during their making process. They can be stored for about a year. They can last as frozen up to 18 months when they have a simple coating.
Process of Storing Rum balls
The necessary things for storing rum balls are:
- Air-tight container
- Rum balls
- Cocoa powder or powdered sugar
- Serving platter
- Shallow bowl
The process of storage involves the following steps:
- Preparation of the rum balls according to the recipe whether they are store-bought or made at home from scratch.
- Coating them in cocoa or powdered sugar according to the recipe.
- Placing the rum ball in a single layer inside the air-tight container.
- Storing them at the coldest section of the refrigerator.
- Keeping them in the fridge for two days to two weeks until the flavors are fully developed.
- Filling the bottom of the shallow bowl with cocoas powder or powdered sugar.
- Transferring the rum balls from the container to the bowl.
- Rolling them in cocoa and sugar until they are completely covered or coated in it.
- Setting them on a serving platter to enjoy.
Conclusion
Rum balls are usually for adults but kids can have them since most of them have a very low alcohol content as in one cap of rum used to make a whole batch of them. They have a long shelf life compared to other sweets. There is a low chance of getting drunk after having them unless the amount of rum used is more or one has too many rum balls. They should always be store in cool and dark places that is the refrigerator and served straight afterward instead of at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can one have rum balls all year round?
Rum balls are usually popular during the festive season. But they are available all year round at any bakery that makes it.
- Are rum balls alcoholic?
Rum balls contain low amounts of rum in it so it is alcoholic.
- Can rum balls be made at home?
Rum balls can either be store-bought or homemade. It has a very simple recipe and few ingredients.
- Do rum balls need to be made beforehand?
Rum balls are usually made at least a couple of days before consumption. The flavor gets infused in the balls during this time.
