Gluten free rum balls for the holidays

My sister, Joyce Lucich, a fellow Sacramentan, always attempts to create gluten-free treats for me, although she herself is not celiac. When you are celiac or have family members or friends that are celiac you must become resourceful. Taking any recipe and coming up with a plan to make it gluten-free is a must. It isn’t rocket science, but when newly diagnosed this is unfamiliar territory; so tread lightly and yet tread endlessly and fearlessly.  I try to teach this skill to my daughter, Autumn (also a celiac) and to folks in my gluten-free cooking/baking classes.  This is often their only way of not feeling deprived, feeling hopeful and to learn that a gluten-free diet is not such a horrible thing.  Not that I want to make every single thing, every single day from scratch; for me it's half the battle just knowing that I CAN!  That is enough to help me to feel priveleged and not deprived.

My sister, Joyce, pictured here on the right, took her regular recipe for rum balls and transformed it into a gluten-free recipe simply by changing the type of cookies she used. She also slightly adjusted the recipe to accommodate the fact that the gluten-free animal crackers that she bought came in a 10 oz. box while the vanilla wafers she normally uses come in 12 oz.

Did I mention how yummy these rum balls are?! As far as I can tell you cannot taste the difference between the gluten-free rum balls and the regular ones. They are moist, chocolaty, and oh so rummy! It's as if you are taking a bite of a truffle. My sister, Joyce did an excellent job not only making the rum balls but converting the recipe to gluten-free, of course she always does. She has been aptly nicknamed "The Puerto Rican Martha Stewart". Joyce is extremely talented and artistic; not only is she an exceptional cook, her table setting are always unique and spectacular!

Ingredients:

1 (10oz) box of gluten-free cookies ( any cookie similar to vanilla wafers)

1/3 cp powdered sugar

3/4 cp. chopped walnuts

6 oz. of chocolate chips

4 heaping tbsp. Karo Syrup

3/4 cp rum

powdered sugar, additional for rolling



Directions:

Crush cookies in food processor until fine. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Add nuts and stir.

Melt chocolate chips until creamy and stir in Karo Syrup. Mix well. Add in rum and stir well.

Combine chocolate mixture with cookie mixture. Blend well to make sure all of cookie absorbs the liquid.

Refrigerate for at least an hour or more to let the mixture set.

When ready to roll, take out tablespoon-size portions, dust with powdered sugar and roll into a ball. Roll in powdered sugar, one more time. Keep stored in an airtight container.

*Note: Can be kept for a month or more if stored properly.