Rum balls, brandy balls, whatever your tipple is, these truffle like treats are the perfect addition to your Christmas Sweet Plate.

Every year for as long as I can remember, my nan has sent us over a couple of packs of rum balls for Christmas and since I was a child I have loved these sweets, my grandad and I used to eat them like they were going out of fashion!

However, this year will be different. The rum balls we’re used to are unfortunately not vegan, so I am making my own this year and today I gave it a trial run (I’ll be doing a lot of trial runs right up until Christmas I think… well I want it to be perfect come the day!) I didn’t have any rum to hand, but we did have some brandy, so I gave it a whirl.

Unlike the rum balls I had as a youngster, these actually do have some alcohol in them, so not for kids! (You could just add some extra vanilla or some other extract you prefer to replace the brandy/rum to make these treat for all the family.

Result, they are seriously good, so much so, I have to be careful not to gorge myself on them…

Brandy Balls (Vegan & Gluten Free)

MyInspiration Feel The Difference Range

Makes approx. 18 balls

Ingredients

80g Dark chocolate (vegan) grated

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

½ cup almonds

½ cup oats

¾ cup icing sugar

2 tbsp brandy (or use rum)

1.5 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup dairy free dark chocolate vermicelli

Method

1. Add the almonds and oats into a food processor or hand blend and blitz until fine

2. In a large bowl combine the almond and oat mix, the grated chocolate, icing sugar, cocoa, brandy and vanilla and stir to combine.

3. Pop in the fridge for 20 minutes

4. Take a bowl and fill it with the vermicelli

5. Once the mixture is set, remove from fridge, dampen hands and take heaped teaspoon size of the mixture and roll into smooth balls, then roll in the vermicelli and set on a piece of greased proof paper or inside a small cake case.

6. Place the finished brandy balls in the freezer to set firm.

Each Brandy Ball is approx. 60 calories.