The Midnight Rum

This year I'm making, and giving away rum balls as part of my Christmas baking repertoire. I actually tried making rum balls once in my life, oh, maybe two years ago but for some reason, I failed. The rum balls turned out rather runny and didn't really stay in a "ball" form at all. More like a rum pancake. And it wasn't just the appearance that didn't quite cut it; I remember giving one to my boyfriend to try and bless his heart, he did take a taste, but after a second or two, made a face that told me, 'better luck next time'. Discouraged with that, I had no interest in giving rum balls another try. That is, until I read about this recipe for Midnight Rum Balls which uses Oreo cookies in place of the traditional vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies that you may typically find. I think the key in keeping a certain degree of "firmness" in your rum ball is in the amount of rum you add. Put a little too much in there, and you just might end up with a pancake instead of a ball. Believe me, I've been there.

Midnight Rum Balls (adapted from a recipe found on Chowhound.com)

ingredients:

Oreo Cookies (or any other type of chocolate sandwich cookie)-about 24 of these

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/3 cup rum (can substitute with whiskey if you'd like)

Extra fine granulated sugar to roll the balls in

Crushed peppermint to roll balls in (optional of course)!

directions:

1. Crush the cookies until they are fine crumbs (best to use a food processor for this)

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cookies with the powdered sugar, walnuts if using, and cocoa powder and mix.

3. Next, add the corn syrup and the rum and stir ingredients until combined.

4. Using wet hands (because the dough is very sticky), make 1 inch balls and then roll into the granulated sugar, and if you'd like, roll them in crushed peppermint sticks for that holiday look.

5. Store the rum balls in a tight-fitting container; remember, rum balls actually taste better and better a day or two after making them.