Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (86 page)

6.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheet to form 4-inch round patties. Let set at room temperature before serving.

Yield:

About 10 peanut patties

Storage:

Store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper for up to 2 weeks.

General Description:

Rich, sweet, and just a little naughty, rum balls are a cherished tradition at many family holiday gatherings
. These round candies are made from a jumble of cookie crumbs, ground nuts, and confectioners’ sugar bound together with honey and a healthy dose of rum. The result is dense, moist, and intense—almost truffle-like.

History:

Rum balls are a favorite in North America and Australia. Bourbon balls are a version that is especially popular in
the American South. Many versions exist because the simplicity of the recipe makes it easy to adapt.

Serving Suggestions:

Rum balls are so easy to make that they are a great last-minute party favor. You can make alcohol-free versions for children: Substitute orange juice for the rum.

Candy-Making Notes:

Try other nuts—such as walnuts or almonds—instead of pecans. Replace the vanilla wafers with graham crackers, shortbread, or other cookies. Instead of rolling rum balls in confectioners’ sugar, you can coat them in granulated sugar, shredded coconut, or sprinkles.

Recipe:

1.
Combine pecans, vanilla cookie crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa powder in a large bowl.

2.
Add honey and rum and stir to combine.

3.
Form the mixture into 1½-inch balls with your hands, and roll them in confectioners’ sugar.

4.
If possible, refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

Yield:

About 48 rum balls

Storage:

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The flavor improves over time.

General Description:

These creamy, gooey disks of brown sugar are studded with pecans
. Unlike
French praline
recipes, Southern praline recipes call for pecans, and the sugar coating is made with brown sugar and cream for a rich, thick candy coating.

History:

Southern pecan pralines are a direct descendant of
French pralines
. The confection travelled across the Atlantic to the French colony of New Orleans in the late 1700s. Recipes for pralines were adapted to use the local pecans, and Southern pecan praline recipes began appearing in American cookbooks by the 1760s. In the early 1800s, free black women who sold homemade pralines in the French Quarter became known as
pralinières
. Today, Southern pecan pralines are a classic American candy and a particular favorite in Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas.

Serving Suggestions:

Use pralines in your other desserts: Top an ice cream sundae with pralines or grind the disks and use the powder as a topping or crunchy layer in a cake.

Candy-Making Notes:

Praline recipes have always been fiercely guarded family secrets, so no two are alike. You can take the liberty of modifying this one by using different nuts or adding a dash of bourbon or rum. For an even nuttier flavor, toast the pecans before adding them into the mixture in step 4.

Recipe:

1.
Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.