In the midst of the Christmas baking and preparation it’s always good to have a few recipes that are easily assembled and ideally no-bake.
For years, I’ve made rum balls which I learned to love early on…under the age of 10 if I recall correctly. No, I’m not a lush and it’s rather ironic because mom and dad didn’t drink. Yet, somehow mom had learned to like rum balls. My earliest encounter was when we visited the Danish-inspired town of Solvang, California where every bakery seemed to feature racquetball sized chocolate confections coated with chocolate sprinkles and infused with wonderful rum flavor.
They are quite easy to make but the challenge is planning to do them far enough in advance so that they have time to mellow with age. They are delicious (and especially potent) when freshly made, but I think are better when allowed to mellow in a tight container for a week or two. If you’re not familiar with them, or how they’re made, they’re basically cake or cookie crumbs that are mixed with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts and then bound together with light corn syrup mixed with rum.
The basic concept can be used to make virtually unlimited types of similar confections by changing out the flavor element and adding or subtracting things to add flavor, texture, as well as the overall body. Now I’m going to share a pet peeve of mine…Vanilla Wafers. It’s not that I don’t like vanilla wafers…I don’t like their PRICE! Why in the heck is a simple plain cookie so expensive (related to what it is)? I doubt they even use real vanilla in the name brand versions, much less the store brands. So…save your money. All that is needed is a simple plain-flavored crumb (remember…the flavor is typically taken care of by a raid to the booze cabinet). Any type of plain cookie will work…I recently purchased a one pound bag of animal crackers for ninety-eight cents! That barely makes a down payment on a bag of vanilla wafers!
Recently while doing food for the Christmas party of some friends, I wanted to add something with chocolate and peppermint. At first I thought of a dense fudge brownie…something that gave you the sensation of rushing across the frozen tundra on a dogsled (or at least that of biting into a peppermint patty), but I was running short on time. Instead, I took my basic rum ball recipe and tweaked it to make these easy and refreshing confections that will have your guests saying “My, your chocolate balls are so minty!” And really, what more could you ask for???
Chocolate Peppermint Balls
I like to make these small so that they are a one-bite confection. The Ande’s brand peppermint chips are sometimes a seasonal item so stock up now at Christmas if you think you’ll want to use them later in the year.
Yield: Approximately 4 dozen
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
2 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
½ cup light corn syrup
½ 10-oz. pkg, Andes brand Peppermint chips (available near chocolate chips in most grocery stores)
½ lb. (approximately 2 ¼ cups) finely ground Animal crackers, vanilla wafers, or other plain cookie
Coating:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons ground cocoa powder
Place butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, peppermint extract and corn syrup in a mixer bowl fitted with the beater or paddle attachment. Beat until blended into a buttercream-style consistency. Add the peppermint chips and ground cookie crumbs and mix well. The mixture needs to be soft enough to form a ball that will be somewhat firm, not mushy. Adjust the consistency as necessary by adding more corn syrup if it’s too dry or more cookie crumbs if it’s too wet.
Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder for the coating.
Using a small scoop, form balls of the cookie mixture and roll between the palms of your hand to compact and smooth them. Toss to coat in the cocoa/powdered sugar mixture. Store in an airtight container up to 7 days.
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