These festive treats are a great way to add a little boozy bite to your holiday sweet table. Rum balls are basically slightly underbaked brownies that are broken up into pieces and mixed with your favourite liqueur. One third of a cup of liqueur is the amount that’s perfect for me — but you can add more depending on your personal taste. I suggest you start with 1/3 of a cup and then taste the dough and adjust accordingly. Make sure to let the baked brownies cool completely before continuing with the recipe or you’ll end up with a dough that is too soft to shape into balls. I like to use coarse sanding sugar to coat these treats, but turbinado sugar also tastes great — especially if you’re using bourbon.  The balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup salted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (or more to taste) liqueur of your choice, such as rum, bourbon or Grand Marnier
• granulated or sanding sugar, for rolling

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and coat a 13 x 18 inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a double boiler or using a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add in the melted chocolate mixture.
4. Carefully fold in the flour.
5. Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, using a spatula to spread the batter into an even layer.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. The baked brownies should still be slightly soft when you pull them out of the oven. Cool completely.
7. Break the cooled brownies into pieces and place into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour the liqueur into the bowl and mix until the brownie pieces come together to form a ball. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes.
8. Use a small ice cream scoop to shape the dough into equal-sized balls. Roll the balls into the coarse sugar.
9. Refrigerate the balls for at least one hour before serving. The balls can be served cold or at room temperature. Store any leftover rum balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

*Yield: Approximately 15-18 balls