Three-Gurgle Rum Balls

I'll be the first to admit I'm a terrible cook. For years, however, I made three-gurgle rum balls for work that, after the first year, no one was allowed to eat until 4:30 p.m. (We went home at 5 p.m.) The recipe goes kind of like this:

Crush vanilla wafers, about a full box.
Add sugar to taste.
Put about a quarter cup in of Hershey cooking chocolate from the can.
Throw in anything else you like such as walnuts or raisins.
Add about one-quarter cup of 80-proof rum.

The three-gurgle part comes in when you add the 151-proof rum, after mixing the above well. The first time I made these, a hummingbird outside the kitchen window distracted me, and three gurgles of 151- proof rum went into the mix. To those unfamiliar with what a gurgle is, you tip the rum bottle over so the liquor pours out slowly as you count to four even more slowly. That's a gurgle. Remember this recipe calls for three gurgles of 151-proof rum.

If the mix is too moist, add more vanilla wafers; if it is too dry, add more 80-proof rum. Sometimes I even add Amaretto.

When the mix is the right consistency, roll it into small balls and dredge them in powdered sugar. I had to call Mum 3000 miles away the first time I made these to find out what dredge meant. I don't think mothers should laugh uncontrollably at their children, do you?

When done, store the rum balls in a tin-foiled canister in the refrigerator overnight to let them age.

If you drive to work, make sure to open the car windows to let the fumes out.

You may have to experiment with them as I have. The first year I brought them to work, I brought only enough for our department. Over the years, other departments requested them for their Christmas potlucks.

Although I’ve never eaten one, I've been told they are very tasty.

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