Low carb dairy-free rum balls are a holiday classic made healthy! Made with organic chocolate and coconut, they pack a delicious punch. These delicious keto rum balls are perfect for gift-giving. This post is brought to you in partnership with Safeway.
You know those foods that flood you with nostalgia and a warm remembrance of happy childhood days? These Low Carb Chocolate Rum Balls are that food for me right now. Biting into one of them is like stepping back through time to Toronto, circa the 1980s, during the holidays. Rum balls were always on offer because a family friend always made them. I remember holiday parties at Garth and Michelle’s house, and a lovely tin of homemade rum balls on a side table near the tree. They always looked so enticing, rolled in chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles. And every year, I got a surprise as I bit into one and that strong rum taste came through. I wasn’t sure if I liked them or not back then, but I always tried them.
How to Make Low Carb Rum Balls
Can you picture it? We won’t go into the over-sized sweaters and big fluffed up bangs I may or may not have been wearing back then. Hey, it was the eighties and I was a young teen. I was stylish for the times! But how fun it was to recreate those old memories with my own keto rum ball recipe. A healthy version of those little chocolate truffles that used to call my name.
When I set about to re-make this little bit of my childhood, I hit my local Safeway for supplies from the O Organics® line. I was delighted to discover that they now carry a number of baking essentials that are perfect for sugar-free holiday recipes. Organic 100% chocolate baking bars, organic unsweetened shredded coconut, organic vanilla extract, and organic coconut oil, all with the great quality and reasonable price I’ve come to expect from O Organics.
I wanted to make a dairy-free version of this holiday classic treat, and used both the coconut oil and the shredded coconut in the truffles themselves. Then they got a nice little roll in more shredded coconut. I was very impressed by the quality of the unsweetened chocolate, as it melted smoothly and wasn’t prone to seizing. The whole mixture does become very thick as you add the rum, and that’s part of what gives it structure. You could really use any liquid you want here in place of the dark rum. If you want to play up the coconut flavor, try coconut rum. Or coffee liqueur. Or brandy, whiskey or bourbon. For a non-alcoholic version, try just plain old water with a little rum extract. The rum flavor of these is very strong at first but it mellows out as they sit around for a few days.
Did you know that Albertsons and Safeway now have a grocery delivery service available in many areas? I got a chance to try it out in October and it was fantastic. I could pick my delivery day and time even down to the hour. They had a vast array of ingredients available and the driver was courteous. He actually called ahead to let me know he was on his way and all of my groceries arrived in perfect order. So now I don’t need to leave the comfort of my own home…this could be very dangerous!
I love that Albertsons and Safeway are making organic products more accessible and available at great value. From chicken and beef to produce to the aforementioned baking products, their O Organics line, available in my area exclusively at Albertsons and Safeway, helps make my holidays happy and healthy.
If you don’t live near an Albertsons or Safeway, check out the O Organics line available at all Albertsons Companies family of stores including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tomb Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United, United Express and Carrs/Safeway.
Coconut Rum Balls - Low Carb and Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 6 ounces O Organics unsweetened chocolate chopped
- ¼ cup O Organics coconut oil
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ⅛ teaspoon monk fruit extract or more Swerve
- ½ cup dark rum
- ½ teaspoon O Organics vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 cup O Organics shredded coconut
Garnish
- Additional coconut for rolling
- Sugar-free dark chocolate for dipping or drizzling
- Additional coconut oil to thin out the dark chocolate
Instructions
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the chopped chocolate and the coconut oil. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the sweetener until well combined, then whisk in the dark rum, vanilla extract, and salt. The mixture will thicken considerably when adding the liquid.
- Add the almond flour and shredded coconut and stir in until the mixture forms a cohesive dough. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. If you are using shredded coconut to garnish, roll them immediately in shredded coconut.
- To dip in chocolate, place the rum balls on a waxed paper lined tray and freeze for at least one hour. Chop the sugar-free dark chocolate and melt with a little coconut oil to thin it out (for dipping half the rum balls, you would need about 3 ounces chocolate and 1 tablespoon coconut oil).
- Drop a frozen rum ball into the melted chocolate and use a fork to roll it around to coat. Lift out and tap the fork firmly against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Return to the wax paper and sprinkle with a little shredded coconut. Repeat with remaining rum balls.
- Store on the counter for a few days and in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Notes
Tami S. says
Easy and Delicious!
Just finished making these. Super easy to make and the sample I tried was amazing. They’re a little soft still, but I know they’ll firm up a bit more after sitting out for awhile. They remind me of the rum balls that my grandmother would make every Christmas. Another wonderful recipe from Carolyn!
Julie Scriver says
Husband hates coconut, can I use coconut flour instead of the chopped coconut? It’s a texture thing with him.
Carolyn says
No, it would be come terribly dense and awful. I’d think you want another 1 cup of almond flour instead.
MaryBeth H says
Can you substitute rum extract/flavoring for the actual rum?
Carolyn says
Sure, and make up the difference in liquid with plain water.
Jacqueline Butts says
These look fabulous (and I plan to make them), but a word of warning: Many rum distillers add sugar to the finished product. It makes the rum much tastier, but if you are watching your sugar intake make sure that you are using rum that has no ‘Added’ sugar (the sugar used during distillation is eaten off by the alcohol) Jamaica, Barbados and any of the French Caribbean islands specifically mandate that it is illegal to add sugar to the finished product, so to be safe make sure your rum is produced and bottled on one of those islands.
This recipe does not use a huge amount of rum for the large amount of servings, so a rum with added sugar probably wouldn’t affect you for this recipe, but if you decide to start sipping on the rest of the bottle -you might find that it does make a difference.
Carolyn says
I lived in Barbados for 6 months and they take their rum seriously. I often buy Mount Gay because I know it’s good!
Kay says
Thank you so much for this keto version! Rum balls are my favourite holiday treat to make for family and friends (and myself, of course)!
Maybe the recipe itself should be updated to say “wait 2-3 days for the flavors to blend and mellow”. When I made regular (non-keto) rum balls, waiting at least 3 days was MANDATORY, with a week being optimal, IMO! 🙂
Carolyn says
Excellent idea.
Bob says
Can I just use Lakanto Monk fruit sweetener instead of the Swerve and Monk fruit extract?
Carolyn says
Sure, that’s fine.
Annie Wong says
Can these be kept in the freezer for a few months? Thank you fir the recipe.
Carolyn says
You bet! They freeze well.