Rum Balls

Ok, it's Christmas. So here are the start of the festive recipes.

Rum balls have a great tradition in our family. There was always a big bowl of them on every Christmas morning breakfast table or at Christmas parties during December. I really love them, especially the condensed milk, which I have a slight addiction to. I am rather proud to say that I've passed the addiction onto my kids!

We have always made run balls with crushed Weetbix being the main ingredient. I now see rum ball recipes made with crumbled Christmas cake or chocolate cake. Sorry folks, but it's not the same. Weetbix versions are way better in my opinion.

You can make rum-free versions for the little ones if you like, but I feel that there is such a small amount of alcohol in each rum ball that it is really not necessary. And the rum flavour is really what makes these special. But it is up to you.

I like to make several batches of rum balls and then package them up in glass jars to give as gifts. Best to get them all out of the house otherwise they all get eaten up! 

Merry Christmas. 

What you'll need

Makes 20 - 30 small rum balls

9 Weetbix, finely crushed

1/2 cup desiccated coconut, plus 1 cup extra coconut to roll at the end

1 cup sultanas, roughly chopped

2 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder

395g tin Nestle condensed milk

1 tablespoon rum

What to do

Place the finely crushed Weetbix in a large bowl with the coconut, cocoa powder and sultanas.

Make a well in the centre of the ingredients and pour in the condensed milk, making sure to scrape out the tin and not waste any. pour in the rum.

Mix very well with a wooden spoon. You should have a sticky mixture that comes together when pressed.

Take heaped teaspoon-sized balls of mixture. Using damp clean hands, roll the mixture into balls. Set aside on a tray.

Place the extra reserved coconut into a large plastic container. Place a few rum balls at a time into the container and roll them around to coat well in coconut. Repeat until all rum balls are coated.

Store in air-tight containers or in jars decorated with Christmas paper.

Enjoy in moderation. These are addictive.

Anzac Biscuits

Here's a quick bikkie recipe. These biscuits are great and although they are usually made in Australia around Anzac day in April, we made ours in December for an international cuisine day at school. I was lucky enough to be invited into the second grade class and give the children the story behind the creation of these biscuits back in the early 1900s. The children liked the biscuits and hopefully learnt something in the process.  If you want to learnt something about the story of Anzac Biscuits, visit here.

There's been a bit of debate in our house whether these biscuits are better 'chewy' or crunchy'.

It's crunchy all the way for me, so you'll get crunchy bikkies if you use this recipe.

What you'll need

Makes approximately 20 biscuits

1 1/4 cups plain flower
1 cup rolled oats (porridge oats)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup
150g butter
3/4 cups desiccated coconut
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

What to do

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. In a large bowl add the flour, oats, sugar and coconut and stir well to combine.

In a small saucepan add the golden syrup and the butter and heat over a low heat until melted together.
Remove from the heat and mix in the bicarb soda. Then also add 2 tablespoons water.

Pour the golden syrup into the dry ingredients and mix well until combined. The mixture should stick together a little, not be dry and crumbly. If dry, add a little more water.

Using a teaspoons full of mixture, roll into balls with slightly wet hands. Place on a lined baking tray. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingers.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool completely before placing in an air-tight container for storage.