A popular Christmas treat, these simple and yet, decadent rum balls are a quick, easy add to our Christmas treat or to our Kuswar. Kuswar, derived from the Portuguese term consoada, means dinner served on Christmas eve. It’s a set of Christmas sweets prepared by the Catholics in India during Christmas. On Christmas day, after mass, we’d take plates of Christmas sweet – rum balls, marzipan, rose kookies, kulkuls, biscuits, gauva cheese and more – all homemade and exchange treats with our neighbors. Now living in the US, we have tried to keep the tradition going. We often have carol-singing parties followed by a Kuswar exchange. This easy-to-make treat is a decadent add to the Kuswar plate.

1 minute prep time, 1 minute in the microwave, let it cool a couple of minutes, form the rum balls and before you know it, you have a delicious treat on hand!

Time: 10 minutes Servings: 50-60 rum balls

Ingredients:

• 1 14oz condensed milk
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons Spiced Rum (feel free to add more if you’d like to up the alcohol content) – avoid alcohol, if you’d like
• 1 tablespoon butter (to coat palms to form the balls)
• 1/4 cup tiny walnut pieces

Method:

1. Prep a sheet of parchment paper by rubbing a spoon of hardened butter over the sheet – this will prevent the fudge from sticking to the sheet later.
2. In a microwave-safe dish pour the condensed milk and then stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Place the dish in the microwave and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir the contents until the chips and condensed milk is well blended and smooth. Stir in the rum.
4. Microwave in 15 second increments incase the chips are not melted as the duration varies by the microwave.
5. Pour the contents of the dish on the parchment paper. Place in the fridge to cool or cool on the countertop.
6. When cool to touch, coat palms with butter and take teaspoon full of fudge and roll into a ball on the palm of your hand. Top with a tiny piece of walnut, similar to the picture
7. Place the balls in an airtight bowl to store, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.