Rum balls

2 Cups Very Fine Vanilla Wafer Crumbs
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)
2 Cups Powdered Sugar (VERY FULL CUPS)
4 TBSP (level) Cocoa
Mix above ingredients well in a large bowl. Add: 1/2 Cup Rum. Roll into&1/2 inch balls, coat with powdered sugar than refrigerate.

Alternate Recipe, for gooier fun:

• 2 Cups Nigh-disintegrated Nilla Wafers^TM
• 1½ Cups Confectioner's Sugar
• 3 heaping Tablespoons Cocoa
• 1½ Cups finely chopped Pecans
• ½ Cup Spiced Rum, for recipe
• Nigh-unlimited Rum, for the cook
• ¼ Cup light Corn Syrup
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Mix all ingredients thoroughly, in a large bowl
• Drink some Rum
• Mold into (approximately) spheres of desired radius
• Eat all the mixture off your hands that is stuck there, and wash it down with some Rum
• Continue rolling up the clump-like sphere-esque structures
• Eat mixture off hands
• Drink more Rum
• Repreat above steps until mixture is gone
• Drink some Rum
• Refrigerate overnight, covered, preferably with a very, very small layer of rum just barely covering the bottom of the container.
• Drink some Rum to celebrate a dessert well made.

If they don't sound that good to you, and even if you don't like Rum, try these. I've been threatened with being fired if I don't bring these to every department picnic and christmas party from now 'til the end of time, even by folks who claim to hate Rum. Instant winner at picnics, and great for dinner parties, too.

This is a fairly traditional New Zealand recipe, found on bake stalls everywhere, which looks distinctly different to the two recipes above, so would undoubtedly produce a ball of an entirely different kind. The result of this recipe is little globes of gooey, rummy, coconutty deliciousness.

Ingredients

(Makes about two dozen balls)

• 1 packet arrowroot biscuits (Girl Guide biscuits are good)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1 cup dessicated coconut

Method

• Put the biscuits into a food processor and whizz until they are fine crumbs
• Add the coconut and cocoa and process again briefly to mix
• Add condensed milk, mix and then slowly pour in the rum while the processor works - taste and add more rrum if you want the balls boozier, or more cocoa if they are too soft.
• Put in the fridge and chill for an hour or so.
• Take a heaped teaspoon of mixture, roll into a ball and then roll in cocoa or chocolate strands
• Savour with coffee