Why is the Rum Always Gone? Two Rum-tum-tum Holiday Recipes

There are two must-haves treats for me throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas.

1. Rumballs - Cookie Balls doused with Rum. Need I say more. The result is the BEST. RUMBALLS. EVER.

2. Coquito – A Puerto Rican version of eggnog, kicked up a notch with Coconut Milk. And Puerto Rican Rum.

I am getting ready to make these this week. If you want to join in the fun, here are the recipes I use. The Rumball recipe is pretty much tried and true. The Coquito is a variation of my grandmother’s recipe – except she cracks her coconut open with a machete and I crack mine open with a can opener. Ha!

Best. Rumballs. Ever.

• 3 1/4 cup Ground Vanilla Wafers (I used 1 box of Nilla Wafers, grounded to powder.)
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I chopped them so much, it was like butter!)
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup Bacardi (or any rum, I used Bacardi)
• 1.5 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Mix well. Scoop and form into balls. Roll them around in powdered sugar. And you are done! Then take a bite and ENJOY! This recipe makes 21 rumballs for me.

Coquito – Puerto Rican Eggnog

• 3 cups of Puerto Rican Rum – I like Bacardi
• 1 can of cream of coconut (15 ounces)
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces) – I have used Fat Free without a problem
• 10 egg yolks
• 1.5 cups of white sugar
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• .5 tspn of nutmeg
• 2 cups of whole milk (using anything but whole makes this too watered down)

Scramble the egg yolks. Make sure there is no white attached to them. You just want “clean” yolks. Scramble really well.
Add sugar, mix really well.
Add the cream of coconut. Mix well!
Add the condensed milk. MIX WELL!
Add the whole milk. Mix well!
Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well!
Add the rum. Mix well!

Mixing well after each step is important. I’ve had coquito that other people made that was lumpy, and I think it was from not mixing well after each ingredient AND because they didn’t completely removing the whites.

Once everything is mixed, funnel it into a bottle. I put it back in the bottle of rum and some extra into an empty milk jug.

Then just let it chill so that the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors everything. And shake well before pouring to make sure all the spices are evenly distributed.

These are both wonderful holiday treats to accompany Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!

Happy Buzzing!