Is. It is a dark and stormy night, perfect for baking. Or not baking, as the case may be.
Dark and Stormy Rum Balls (PDF)
Recipe 330 of 365
My mother-in-law is famous for her holiday rum balls, which she makes precisely because there’s no baking required. Sometime around Thanksgiving, she rolls them together and packs them into the back of the fridge or freezer in plastic containers, and by the time Christmas comes around, the rum has mellowed a bit and the cocoa flavor comes out a bit stronger. Here’s a version that leans on the old drink standby, made with crystallized ginger, ground dried ginger, and ginger thins instead of the more traditional Nilla wafers.
Whirl the ginger thins, pecans, and crystallized ginger (each separately) in the food processor until very finely chopped, or cut the pecans and ginger by hand, and put the cookies in a big zip-top bag and pound into crumbs with a rolling pin.
TIME: 35 minutes active time
MAKES: about 60 rum balls
3 cups ginger cookie crumbs (I used two 5.25-ounce packages Anna’s Ginger Thins)
1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting at end
1/4 cup very finely chopped crystallized ginger (from 1/2 cup ginger slices)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup dark rum (Gosling’s, of course)
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to blend very well. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until batter is firm enough to scoop, form into balls about 1” in diameter, and place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate again for 15 minutes, then roll in cocoa powder to coat. Store in freezer or refrigerator, at least 1 week and up to 1 month before serving.
Pingback: Knit One, Purl Too: A Knitlog » Blog Archive » Project Bagway, or, "Damn!"