Chocolate Rum Balls

"Hey Kid, do you like rum?"

"What's rum?  Rumplestilskin??"

Does anyone else love Big Daddy as much as I do?  So funny.  I can't have rum without quoting that line.

Anyway, tonight's cookie is something new to me- rum balls!  These were recommended by my husband's coworker.  They're an awesome no-bake, extremely rummy (har har) treat.  The dough is a cinch to put together, the rolling takes a bit more time.  These would be a hit for any chocolate and rum fans.  Like me. love love love.  Warning, despite only using 1/4 cup of alcohol, these definitely have a kick and should be enjoyed by adults only.

Here's the recipe:

Crush up 1 box of Nilla Wafer cookies, and put them in a large bowl.  Then, add the following ingredients and mix well:

• 2 tablespoons of cocoa 
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• 1/4 cup of rum

All you have to do now is roll the dough into bite-sized balls, and if you prefer, coat them in extra confectioner's sugar like I did.  I put mine in the fridge to firm up, and these can be frozen as well.  They are fine at room temperature if you don't have space in the fridge. 

Let me know in the comments below if you have your own version of Rum Ball cookies- I'd love to try some other recipes for these!

Everything Fall Cupcakes!

Fall is in full swing here in New England and what better way to celebrate crisp days, pretty leaves, and cozy nights than with cupcakes?!  This year I was in the mood for something a little different than my typical pumpkin spice cupcake, so I turned one of my favorite blogs, Cupcakes Take the Cake, for a little inspiration and found the holy grail of cupcake creativity; The Cupcake Project!

If you love cupcakes, you need to check out this site.  The writer posts so many creative flavors and combinations; it's awesome!

Today's cupcake is one straight from the Cupcake Project blog- I didn't change anything, though I did leave the cranberries off the top.  Since I didn't modify this recipe at all, feel free to check out the original here!

For now, here's the low-down...first you make a batch of mini apple cobbler cupcakes and top them with some brown sugar glazey icing that is just like the icing on a donut. Ho-ly-mo-ly good luck to you saving enough to complete this project.  The fact that they are mini and moist and addictive makes this a hard task, so I suggest hiding them until they're cool and ready to be frozen.  Seriously!

Next you make your big-cupcake batter; pumpkin with real maple syrup and rum.  This is one of those batters where you freak out because it looks curdled and nasty at first, but don't worry, it comes together beautifully and ends up looking and smelling like a delicate pumpkin mousse.

Bake the pumpkin batter with a frozen mini (wrapper removed) in the center and you have your cupcake.  The last step is whipping up an easy batch of cinnamon cream cheese icing and topping your cuppies with love, and voi-la.  You have the best fall dessert you've ever made.

These fall cupcakes SO good, and you can easily taste all of the flavors...except for the rum.  I used Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum (my favorite dark rum) and I think it was just overpowered by the maple and pumpkin.

This project does take some serious prep time; you have to freeze the mini cupcakes overnight.  This was a 2-day baking project for me, but it was a lot of fun and the taste makes it worth every minute.  Check out the Cupcake Project's original recipe here, and enjoy!!