Not sure mine is exciting....just the basic....vanilla wafer crumbs,sugar I think, ground nuts and rum or brandy....and the variations are what you roll them in or if you substitute some of the crumbs for a bit of cocoa.
Not much to them but the rum or brandy taste.
I'll be watching this thread....
Linda C

This is the one I've made for my son every year since time immemorial. He and DIL like to eat them frozen! I like them the usual way.

Note: In my son's opinion, there isn't enough rum in the mixture until you bend over the bowl to smell it, and keel over! So I just generously slosh the rum in until I think it would meet with my son's approval. No measuring, but it's probably more like half a cup that I put it. It makes the mixture a bit softer and harder to work into balls, but if you refrigerate it for a while, that helps. Perhaps you could use rum essence instead of rum for the extra oomph. My son prefers the real dark Jamaican Rum.

A sweet biscuit is something like your cookie. I don't know what you get in your part of the world, but I use Arnott's Milk Coffee Biscuits or Milk Arrowroot. I put them into the food processor to make them into crumbs. They come in 250g (1/2lb) packets.

I never, never add sultanas (which you'd call white raisins, I think). Yech.

Rum Balls
1 packet plain sweet biscuits, crushed
1 cup coconut
1-2 tablespoons cocoa
3/4 cup sultanas (optional)
140g tin condensed milk
2-3 tablespoons rum
extra coconut

Combine all ingredients, roll teaspoonsful of mixture into balls, roll in extra coconut. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

I've never made this one, but here it is for your delectation:

Rum Balls
120g cream cheese
1/4 cup sifted icing sugar
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rum
1 1/2 cups cake crumbs

Beat the cream cheese with the icing sugar, add the melted chocolate, vanilla, rum and cake crumbs. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then form into small balls. Roll in chocolate sprinkles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Milk Coffee Biscuits

I'm not sure what kind you prefer, but my mom always made more of a truffle-like rum ball. Variants made with other liquors are very tasty too.

Rum Balls
2 c chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
~1/4 c rum (or to taste)
Stuff to roll balls in (cocoa, ground nuts, sprinkles...)

Melt chocolate chips and condensed milk together (microwave works well for this). Stir until well combined and them add the rum. Refridgerate until firm, then roll into balls. Roll balls in cocoa, nuts etc.

The recipe I've used for 30 years is basically the same one that Alku posted. I add about 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.

Roll them in icing sugar, cocoa or toasted ground walnuts or pecans.

Oooh, I made these yesterday! Yummy!

Rum Balls
Recipe Source: Emeril

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 T of cocoa powder
1/2 tsp of allspice
1/2 cup dark rum
2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
1 cup finely crushed walnuts
Extra powdered sugar

Mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and allspice together. Add rum to sugar mixture and mix well. Add vanilla wafer crumbs and walnuts; stir until incorporated. If the mixture is crumbly, that is fine.

Place mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until firm. Roll into teaspoon sized balls, then roll in powdered sugar.

I refrigerated mine afterwards.

I used to call Rum Baba rum balls, so just in case you meant a yeast cake soaked in an incredible rum bath, here's a recipe. This one uses a Bundt pan but it is easily done in large muffin tins and served on a cupcake paper to hold in the syrup.

Baba Au Rhum (Rum Baba) by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)

For the rum syrup
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ReaLemon juice
2/3 cup good dark rum
teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the whipped cream
2 cups cold heavy cream
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the baba
1/3 cup dried currants
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon good dark rum
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/4 ounce fast-rising active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Glaze
3/4 cup apricot preserves
1. Make the rum syrup:.
2. Place the sugar, lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a 4-cup heatproof measuring cup and allow to cool. Add the rum and vanilla and set aside.
3. Make the whipped cream:.
4. Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overheat, or you'll end up with butter!
5. Make the baba:.
6. Combine the currants, lemon zest and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush a 5-cup (6 1/2 X 3 1/2-inch) tube pan or kugelhopf mold with the melted butter. Be sure to coat every crevice of the pan. Heat the milk to 115°F (46°C) and then pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
7. With the mixer on low speed, first add the eggs, then the flour, salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater to form the dough into a ball. It will be very soft. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
8. Drain the currants and zest (empty the rum remaining into the prepared syrup), fold them into the dough with a spatula, and spoon into the prepared pan. Smooth the top, cover the pan with a damp towel, and allow to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and make the rum syrup. Bake the cake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then tap it out of the cake pan onto a baking rack set over a sheet pan.
10. Pour all of the rum syrup very slowly onto the warm cake, allowing it all to soak in thoroughly. Amazingly, the liquid will be absorbed into the cake, so be sure to use all of the syrup.
11. Heat the preserves with 1 tablespoon of water until runny, press it through a sieve, and brush it on the cake. Serve with whipped cream piped into the middle of the cake plus an extra bowl on the side.

I had forgotten about these, this recipe I've had for a 100 years, pretty much like Gardengrl's recipe. I like all the variations. DH prefers the liquor be used in the fruit cakes instead.

Rum or Brandy Balls

2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (69 wafers)
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup rum or brandy
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Combine wafer crumbs, powdered sugar, nuts. Stir in liquor and corn syrup. Add a little water (1 1/4 tsp.) if necessary to form mixture into 3/4 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Store to age at least one week in a tightly covered container.
Makes 4 dozen

Ooh, I forgot to add mine had 2 T of corn syrup too. Mix in with the rum/sugar mixture.