Hello readers! I have returned from my destination wedding and honeymoon and can’t wait to share the photos and stories with you. I am currently in the process of editing down the 4,000+ photos from our trip to Ireland, Scotland, UK, Belgium and New York and will hopefully be posting all about it soon. So many amazing things to share!

Now that I am back, I wanted to make something I have never made before and after soul-searching and pintresting…I decided on rum balls. Of course, I would be substituting the rum for beer. Deviating from the standard rum ball recipe I also made the additions of some coffee and cinnamon to the batter in hopes of boosting the flavors. I also rolled the beer balls in three different types of sugar: vanilla bean sugar, raw sugar and granulated honey. It made for some interesting texture and flavors! This would be fun for a group to do and then try their different rolled toppings after they have set.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter

6 oz of dark chocolate

3 large eggs

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of course sea salt

3/4 cup AP flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground coffee or espresso

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer

sanding sugar or anything your heart desires to roll the balls in 🙂

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Using a “quarter cookie sheet” or 12×17 tray with raised edges, spray the tray with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments. Try mixing between heating and it should become incorporated without the double boiler hassle or burning the chocolate. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a larger bowl. Then mix in the butter chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until just combined. Put the flour, coffee and cinnamon in a sifter and sift in the flour in three batches and fold until incorporated.

4. Pour batter onto prepared baking tray and spread to the edges with a spatula. Try and be as even as possible or else it will burn. Bake for 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Once cooled, break the brownie/cake into small pieces and put in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add the beer and mix until the crumbs get sticky…about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If skeptical, try squishing some together in your hands and see if the shape holds at all.

6. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon shape 1-11/2 inch balls and roll in your choice of topping and place on a baking sheet. Once all your balls are rolled, place in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours. This will make sure your topping doesn’t get absorbed into the cake and the ball will set.

Yield: 20-40 balls (depending on size)

Season: Any!

Level: Beginner

Lasts: about a week

These were great! I wish the flavor was more intense so next time I think I will make a beer syrup and use that instead of just using the beer. It could have a more intense beer taste for my preference, but these were delicious regardless! The texture on the outside being crunchy or sandy was a nice juxtaposition from the soft and rich inside. I also wish there was more spice coming from the cake/brownie batter, so next time I will up the cinnamon and coffee amount as well. The granulated honey had a lovely aftertaste but the crunch of the raw sugar was the most satisfying. I was in love with the floral notes from the vanilla sugar…I need to find more uses for that in my baked goods. Too bad I only have a small bag of it because it’s so wonderful!