Decadent Creamy Rum Balls

I sit here with a large glass of green smoothie. It's chlorophyll packed, vitamin packaged and nutritious, to counteract a week of indulgent eating in Melbourne. Alright, one smoothie isn't going to cut it, but these drinks are becoming a regular, and I feel good! I'll tell you what else feels really good-belly laughs. Yes, I had a really good one the other night. It concerned coming home to my little family after my "annual leave" to hear my 5 year old son talk repeatedly of these great "chocolate energy balls" that daddy put in his lunchbox. There was talk of how there were a few left over for other lunches. Chocolate energy balls this, chocolate energy balls that.
Thinking Dad must have bought some new fandangled treat when he went shopping, I thought little more of it-until I saw a few remaining energy balls in the refrigerator on a late night raid.
Chocolate energy balls.
Laced with good, and I mean, very good, lashings of Mount Gay Rum. Not chocolate energy balls, but adult only style rum balls.
All of a sudden I envisioned my son at school writing his letters a little less than precise, reeking of Mount Gay Rum. Fumes on the breath. Teacher's eyes bulging a little at the recognition of the scent of liquor surrounding a kiddo in her class.
No wonder they were so good.
Before I left for Melbourne I made my hubby some of these delicious adult treats, but I fear the Tupperware slice container made them look rather child friendly and fooled him. I mean, there's not so much rum in them to affect a kid, but still, it make me cackle wildly in the dead of night.
Next time he requests those "chocolate energy balls" for his lunchbox, I'll be holding off on the booze!
I took a container of these "energy balls" on the plane with me to Melbourne to give to my mum as a gift. I got stranded for a good few hours at a train station in the city and, not having eaten for about 8 hours, retrieved them from my bag and started on my lunch of decadent creamy rum balls. While I indulged, I watched a man scrounge through a garbage bin and thought about offering him a few. Then I was distracted in that moment by a woman sitting in a cafe. She started vomiting all over the cafe table-violent vomiting. The man ran away from the bin in a screaming rage at an invisible person.
Eventful and random morning. I continued eating through the box of rum balls-feeling very fortunate all of a sudden. Sorry Mum.
This recipe comes from my good friend Ursula, and they are her specialty. She made me a lovely gift box full of them for me at Christmas, and I knew I had to get her to share the recipe with me. They are so delicious-definitely not your average rum balls. The Secret I think is in the addition of butter. They are creamy! Decadently creamy, chocolatey and rummy. Moorish.

URSULA'S DECADENT CREAMY RUM BALLS

2 cups icing sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp good quality rum
2 tbsp vanilla extract/essence
125g melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add the rum, vanilla and melted butter to the dry mixture. Combine thoroughly. Roll into bite sized balls and refrigerate until ready to consume.

NOTE: if the mixture is a little too dry and the balls do not hold together well, add a tiny little bit of water or rum until the texture is corrected.

Chocoholics Anonymous

Yes...I'm sure there's one somewhere around. Chocoholics Anonymous. And I fear that my husband is going to check me in, and there will be many long hours of holding sticky hands and praying that I may overcome my weakness and my greed. People will look at my baby belly and feel sorry for me, not for a moment presuming there is anything but chocolate in that huge swell. Doomed or not, I intend to continue my addiction, therapy group be warned. It has been one of my greatest craves this pregnancy. Yes, I have shamefully already started on the Easter supply *blushes*.
I promised not to add any chocolaty recipes on this blog until Easter was well over and everyone had recovered from the masses of Easter eggs and bunnies, and bilbies and what ever the heck they create out of chocolate these days.
I couldn't resist, knowing that some people don't fancy giving eggs and such at Easter, and I admit, sometimes a box of chocolates is a nice gift for the over 20's (being so over the hill)
I had these photos taken a few months ago at my sister-in-law-to-be's kitchen tea and was awaiting an opportunity to spring them out into the open. They were so fun to decorate, and really, the sky is the limit when it comes to fillings and covers. For this lot, I made them all rum balls because I was running out of time, but feel free to create your own sticky chocolates out of any type of crushed biscuit, condensed milk and whatever takes your fancy. Experimenting is fun!

DISGUISED RUM BALL CHOCOLATES

7oz Milk Arrowroot Biscuits
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup coconut
400g can sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp. rum
Chocolate to cover
Decorations

Crush biscuits with a rolling pin until they resemble fine crumbs. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl, mixing well until combined. Shape mixture into walnut-sized balls. Place in refrigerator until firm.When ready, melt desired type of chocolate and coat the rum balls, leaving them on greaseproof paper to cool and set.

Decorate as desired, and box.

Makes 30.

NOTES: imagine Timtam biscuits instead of Arrowroots, centres made of nuts or dried fruit, mints or soft centred goo? I dare you!