Chocolate Rum Balls

Halloween on a Monday this year. Lucas in the chef costume, Isabella (who is not yet trick-or-treating-age but Jenny took her anyway in her stroller) dressed as a ladybug because Jenny had a ladybug costume in the closet that she had been saving. They came by my porch first — Miguel Jr. had planned the trick-or-treat route to start at my house, because of course — and I gave them each a bag of Puerto Rican candies I had bought on Park Street in September specifically for this moment: besitos de coco (coconut kisses), dulce de leche, sesame candy bars. Lucas ate two coconut kisses immediately and would not let Jenny take the bag away from him.

Eduardo and I gave out candy at the front door until 8 PM. Two hundred kids, roughly, which is a big night for our street. I kept a little bowl of Delgado-style treats — the Puerto Rican candies and some individually wrapped limber de coco from the freezer — and the neighborhood kids, who know me, came specifically for the Delgado house treats and did not take any of the normal stuff. Word gets around.

After the trick-or-treaters stopped coming I closed the door and poured a small glass of Palo Viejo rum over ice and sat with Eduardo in the living room and said, "I am starting coquito on Thursday." Eduardo said, "It is too early." I said, "It is November next week, Eduardo, it is not too early, it is preparation, the flavors need to marry." He said, "You start earlier every year." I said, "I am older every year. I need the time." He did not argue. He knows that arguing about when to start the coquito is arguing with the wind.

Coquito is the Puerto Rican Christmas drink. Coconut cream, condensed milk, evaporated milk, egg yolks (yes, raw, yes, it is fine, the alcohol handles it), white rum, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg. Blended, bottled, refrigerated, sipped from small glasses throughout December. The flavors need at least two weeks to develop. I start making it the first week of November because by the time the Christmas parties begin in mid-December the coquito has settled into its proper self.

On Thursday I made the first batch. Six bottles. Half went into the back of the refrigerator. Three bottles I will give as gifts — one to Gladys at the hospital, one to Father Ramírez at St. Augustine, one to my neighbor Mrs. Pelletier, who is French-Canadian and who loves my coquito with an intensity that I find deeply touching. The other bottles will be for Christmas at home.

Mami came Thursday for dinner and I gave her a small glass of the test-batch coquito. She sipped. She said, "The nutmeg is right." I said, "I am glad, Mami." She said, "Save me a bottle for December." I said, "Mami, I save you a bottle every December." She smiled. She drank her coquito slowly, like it was medicine she enjoyed. Wepa.

That first small glass of Palo Viejo over ice — door finally closed, trick-or-treaters gone, Eduardo beside me — reminded me that rum is not just for coquito. While the bottles settle in the back of the refrigerator doing their slow work, I always make a batch of Chocolate Rum Balls to tide us over: no oven, no waiting, and they disappear from the gift tins almost as fast as I can fill them. Mrs. Pelletier gets a tin of these alongside her coquito bottle, and Mami, who said the nutmeg was right this year, never turns one down either.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour chilling | Servings: 36 balls

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 60 wafers)
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the crushed vanilla wafers, 1 cup of the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until evenly blended.
Add wet ingredients. Pour in the rum and corn syrup. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a thick, pliable dough. It should hold its shape when pressed; if it feels too dry, add rum one teaspoon at a time.
Roll into balls. Spread the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow dish. Scoop out rounded teaspoons of dough and roll between your palms into 1-inch balls.
Coat in sugar. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar until well coated. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet or tray.
Chill. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour to firm up. Transfer to an airtight tin, layering with parchment paper. Store refrigerated for up to 3 weeks — the flavor deepens after a day or two.
Before serving or gifting. Roll in a second coat of powdered sugar for a fresh, snowy appearance.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Rum Balls — Because November Is Never Too Early to Start the Holiday Spirits