The easiest 4 ingredient kid-friendly rum balls that take just 5 minutes to make using coconut, cocoa powder, sweetened condensed milk and plain sweet biscuits.
My kid-friendly rum balls are also known as chocolate coconut balls or 'donkey drops' - because of their resemblance to... well... you know what!
They're the perfect recipe for getting the kids in the kitchen - you can see how easy it is for my Mr 4 to make them in the video below!
Kid-Friendly Rum Balls Without Rum
Most classic rum ball recipes are made with a dash of rum (totally delicious but adults-only, of course!)... but my rum ball recipe has absolutely no rum in it at all, making it perfect for kids!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
There's a million reasons you're going to make this your 'go-to' kids snack recipe:
- quick - these take just 5 minutes to prepare
- easy recipe - kids can make these all on their own (very young children will need help crushing the biscuits)
- no-bake - forget about turning the oven on! Just mix, roll and chill
- ready immediately - need a snack straight away? These rum balls can be eaten as soon as they're rolled (but they're even better after being chilled in the fridge for a few hours)
- great for lunch boxes - these rum balls can be stored either at room temperature or in the fridge, so they're a perfect option for lunch boxes
- perfect party food - I have made rum balls for almost every birthday party my little boy has had - and they're always the first thing to disappear!
4 Ingredient Rum Balls
This is the easiest no-bake recipe ever!!! All you need is:
- crushed biscuits - I use Arnott's Marie biscuits, however any plain sweet biscuits (cookies in the US) are perfect for this recipe.
- sweetened condensed milk - I generally use full fat condensed milk in my baking, however, you can use skim milk if you prefer
- cocoa powder - any brand of cocoa powder is fine to use.
- desiccated coconut - this is a fine coconut. Do not use shredded or flaked coconut as it wont stick to the mixture.
... that's it! This is such a yummy and budget-friendly recipe (you might even have the ingredients in your pantry right now!).
How To Make Rum Balls
This is the quickest 5 minute recipe - simply crush, mix, roll and coat!
Step 1: Crush the biscuits
You can crush the biscuits by hand using a rolling pin (pop the biscuits into an airtight plastic bag and continue to bang and roll them until they resemble fine crumbs). But if you want to save time, then simply crush them in a food processor, blender or Thermomix.
Step 2: Add the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and desiccated coconut
Give the mixture a good stir until it's completely combined and the sweetened condensed milk has coated the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Roll into balls and coat in extra coconut.
Using your hands, roll the mixture into heaped teaspoon-sized balls and then toss through a bowl of coconut until well coated.
How to Store Rum Balls
Store rum balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Alternatively, freeze them in an airtight container for up to 2 months and allow to come to room temperature before eating.
Rum Ball Variations
Adults-Only Rum Balls
While this kid-friendly rum ball recipe is by far my favourite version, you can of course make it an adults-only treat if you prefer.
Adding rum - simply add ¼ cup of dark rum to the mixture and combine well.
Using fruit cake - rum balls are often made using fruit cake (in place of the crushed biscuits) at Christmas time.
Top Tips For Making Rum Balls
Rum balls are SO simple to make - but here's a few handy tips for making them perfect every single time!
- choose a plain sweet biscuit for crushing (I used Arnott's Marie biscuits that are readily available in all Australian supermarkets). If you can't buy Arnott's biscuits, use any plain sweet biscuit you like. If you're in the US, choose a plain sweet cookie - like a sugar cookie or butter cookie).
- You can easily crush the biscuits using a food processor, blender or Thermomix. If you don't have any of these, you can always crush the biscuits using a rolling pin (simply place the biscuits into a sealable plastic bag and hit with the rolling pin until fine crumbs remain).
- As a rule, I prefer to use full fat sweetened condensed milk in my baking. However in this recipe, it doesn't matter if you use full fat or skim condensed milk.
- For both the rum ball filling and the coating, use desiccated coconut (not flaked or shredded coconut as the balls wont hold together or coat well enough).
- Once the rum balls have been rolled, they're ready to eat straight away! However, they are best served after a few hours in the fridge.
- Rum balls can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Lunch Box Snacks
Our rum ball recipe is a great option for school lunch boxes - quick, easy and a guaranteed winner with the kids!
If you've made rum balls ahead of time and frozen them, you can place them straight into your kids lunch box and they will be defrosted and ready to eat by morning tea time - super handy!
For more easy lunch box snacks, check out our entire lunch box recipe collection here.
More Snack Ball Recipes
For more yummy homemade ball recipes that are perfect for kids, check out these recipes:
- healthy coconut, apricot and chia balls
- healthy chocolate mint balls
- healthy weet-bix balls
- lemon & coconut balls
- milo & weet-bix balls
- healthy salted caramel balls
- milo balls
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Kid-Friendly Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 250 g plain sweet biscuits
- 395 g sweetened condensed milk
- 85 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
- 25 g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
- 130 g (1 and ½ cups) desiccated coconut for rolling, extra
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
- Crush the biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs using either a food processor, blender, Thermomix or rolling pin (see notes) and then place into a large bowl.
- Stir through the cocoa powder, desiccated coconut and sweeteened condensed milk until well coated.
- Using your hands, roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls and then roll through the extra coconut to coat.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.
THERMOMIX METHOD
- Place the biscuits into the Thermomix bowl and crush on Speed 8, 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the cocoa powder, desiccated coconut and sweeteened condensed milk and mix on Reverse, Speed 4, 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides and repeat for a further 5-10 seconds or until combined.
- Using your hands, roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls and then roll through the extra coconut to coat.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.
Meg
what would I substitute if I wanted to make these without the coconut in them? Extra biscuits?
Lucy
Yes you could add extra biscuits and roll in Milo or cocoa 🙂