Mary Jane's Rum Balls
Crystal Lake memories and no-bake holiday treats: spiced rum balls with pecans that disappear as fast as Grandma's other favorites
Mary Jane Carnes was born in Muncie, Indiana, on October 9, 1917. Her father, Harry, was 23, and her mother, Helen, was 21. She married John Augustus Baker on May 28, 1940, at age 22. They had five children in 12 years: Linda, Joy, Eric, Kathy, and Steve. Mary Jane died on October 12, 1996, in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 79.
Mary Jane and John raised their kids in Hagerstown, Indiana, and in Racine and Plymouth, Wisconsin. When the nest was empty, they moved to San Antonio, Texas, home of The Alamo and the River Walk, which we explored and walked through several times during our visit.
Grandma was a talented cook. As the eldest and only daughter in a family of boys, she naturally excelled at cooking and baking. Over the years, she learned tips from her mom, Helen Carnes, and her mother-in-law, Clara Baker. Family favorites included her fried chicken, green beans, chocolate cake, and dumplings.
She was kind and warm, known for always seeing the good in others. Proud of her family, she enjoyed showing off her kids and her grandkids to all her friends and co-workers.
I remember how fashionable she was, dressed beautifully from head to toe, always with a smile on her face - unless she was cross with Grandpa John, who usually deserved it!
We took annual summer trips to Crystal Lake, Wisconsin, where our whole family gathered to cook, share stories, and make memories. After the family moved to Plymouth, Grandma and Grandpa continued this tradition, renting lake homes for summer gatherings. As the kids grew up, the grandkids joined in and enjoyed lake time as well.
Grandma, my mom, aunts, and uncles would cook and bake. Grandpa, my dad, and my uncles would grill. We, kids, played in the lake. We swam out to a stationary barge, jumped on it, and circled it singing “Do you know the way to San Jose, I’m going back that way someday”. We changed the verse as kids do. We didn’t know all the words, but liked the song’s rhythm as we danced around the barge. Before we finished the verse, cousins usually knocked us off, and we did it all again. When the dinner bell rang, we ran up the stairs for family dinner.
The rum balls remain a bit of a mystery to me. I was too young to notice them at first, and by the time I was older, I hadn’t developed a taste for rum—at least not until I discovered spiced rum, coconut rum, and eventually Jimmy Buffett!
In honor of my grandma, I decided to make a batch of rum balls this year. To add a nod to my Grandpa John, a big fan of Jack Daniel’s, I included bourbon balls as well.
My grandma was happiest when her home was full, and everyone was having a good time. She loved it when guests ate two or three helpings of the delicious food she made.
So pop two, three, or four rum or bourbon balls, and have a wonderful holiday gathering.
Mary Jane’s Rum Balls
Makes 24
Kitchen Tools
Ingredients
1 cup vanilla wafers
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 cup spiced rum
Instructions
Add the vanilla wafers to a food processor and pulse until they are finely ground.
Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar to the ground wafers in the processor. Pulse again until evenly combined.
Add pecans to the food processor. Pulse until the pecans are finely ground and the mixture is well blended.
Add corn syrup and spiced rum to the processor. Pulse until the mixture comes together into a sticky mass. Transfer to a mixing bowl. (I prefer spiced rum for my rum balls.)
Spread some powdered sugar on a baking sheet or place it in a bowl. Use enough to roll and coat the balls later.
Use a scoop, a teaspoon, or your hands to portion out some mixture, then roll it into a ball. Roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat. Repeat until all the mixture is used. Place finished balls in a storage container or clean sheet pan and refrigerate.
Before serving, re-roll the balls in powdered sugar for a fresh coating.
Notes:
Vanilla wafers: choose organic or try graham crackers, digestive biscuits, or ginger snaps.
Crushing wafers: Instead of a food processor, put the wafers in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.
Candy roll: roll your candy in shredded coconut, sprinkles, caster sugar, dark brown sugar, cocoa, powdered sugar, or chocolate.
Light corn syrup: choose organic or try amber maple syrup, or simple syrup.
Spirits: for a traditional recipe, use dark rum; for variety, try coconut rum, spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey.
Wine Pairing
Pair with a Lodi Zinfandel, Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Ruby Port from Portugal.
Pecans & Paprikash
Whenever pecans are included in a recipe, I start laughing and think of the movie “When Harry Met Sally” and the ‘pecans and paprikash’ exchange between Harry and Sally. Harry tells Sally to “talk like this” with a Russian accent, for the rest of the afternoon: “There is too much pepper on my paprikash. There’s too much pepper. On my paprikash. On my paprikash. But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie....”
Today we have rum balls. Next week, pecan pie. I have no plans for paprikash…yet!
I loved this story it brought back so many wonderful memories of when I was a child and when my children were small
Memories are very important as we get older to recall all the love and fun we had in our many years
Awesome memories! I’ve got to try those rum balls - maybe with bourbon though!