Rum Balls

Total Time

Hands-on Time

about 1 hour minutes

Instructions

In a heavy saucepan, heat the heavy cream to near boiling—but don’t let it boil. When it’s good and hot, take it off the heat and add the chopped dark chocolate. Stir until all the chunks are melted and the consistency is smooth. Add the rum extract and the dark rum (Denise uses Bacardi Select). Mix well.

When the filling is smooth, let it cool; then push a sheet of waxed paper down on top of the mixture so that it doesn’t develop a skin. Let cool completely, about five hours. (Don’t refrigerate it.) When the filling is cool, scoop it with a melon baller, rolling portions into perfect little balls; set them aside on a sheet of waxed paper.

Now melt the couverture chocolate in a slow cooker at the lowest setting. (For best results, chocolate must be melted very slowly.) Pour the melted couverture into a two-cup measuring cup (easier to manage than dipping into the slow cooker). Dip each ball in the melted couverture until it’s coated; then set aside on another sheet of waxed paper. Work quickly, because the couverture will gradually cool and harden.

Sprinkle chocolate jimmies on top of the rum balls, to distinguish them from any other flavors you may be making. If there’s any couverture left over in the slow cooker, scrape it out and spread it on a sheet of waxed paper; add it to the pot when you make your next batch.

Notes

Denise buys special “couverture” chocolate for the outer shell of her bonbons. Made by the Guittard Chocolate Company, a California-based chocolatier, couverture has a high cocoa-butter content, which gives it a glossy, lustrous appearance. However, you may substitute regular dark chocolate for dipping if you prefer.