Incredible Creations ｜ Plump Rum Raisins
Rum Raisins
Equipment
- Mason Jar
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Raisins (estimated)*
- 1 Cup Dark Rum (estimated)*
- 1 Stick Cinnamon
- 2 Pods Vanilla (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a mason jar, or recycled jar, about 90% with raisins.
- Break a cinnamon stick in half and wedge between the raisins.
- Cut your vanilla pods in half, if using, and stuff them down below the raisins.
- Fill the jar with 40% dark rum. Make sure the liquid level is above the raisins.
- Seal the jar and store in a dark, cool place.
- Let it sit for a minimum of 1 month. The longer, the better.
Notes
Rum Raisins ｜ Leveling Up Your Raisins
Do you want to take your recipes to the next level? Marinating dried fruit to make creations like Rum Raisins is the way to go. It’s so simple to do and requires almost no effort. You can set it and forget it. The return on your investment is incredible. You will get plump, flavorful raisins that will take any dish you use them in to the next level.
What can you use rum raisins for?
Well, it doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Make them part of your balanced breakfast by mixing them into your morning brand flakes. Put them on top your pancakes, or try mixing them into your yogurt pancakes. If that’s too early for you, use them as a topping for ice cream. Mix them into your whipped cream. Put them on top of a cake you already have.
You can get creative with anything you make. The possibilities are almost endless. Mix them into a frosting. Mix them into a cake for something completely new. Try adding them to oatmeal cookies.
We personally use them in our holiday zucchini bread. There is something about rum raisins that scream Christmas time. They also work really well in carrot cakes.
(We will add our zucchini bread recipe & carrot cake recipe at some point)
If you decided to use vanilla pods in the marinating process, you get a bit of a bonus. The leftover rum can be used like vanilla extract. It won’t be as strong, but it works reasonable well for add flavor to creams or frostings. It also tastes great in coffee.
How long should you marinate?
That’s really up to you. The minimum should be for a month, but we aim for a year. In order to ensure we have perfectly plump marinated rum raisins for the holiday season, we make sure to marinate in the first part of the year. Planning ahead is always a good idea.
We aim to use all the raisins within a year a half to two years. At that point, liquor becomes oxidized and starts losing its color and flavors.
Getting Everything Right
Some people wash their raisins before marinating them. Honestly, we have found this hasn’t made any difference, so we opt not to bother doing this.
There is no need for a jarring kit or sterilizing the jar. Since we’ll packing the raisins in 40% rum, there is no way any bacteria is going to form in here. Anything that peeks above the liquid line, however, has a chance of getting moldy. So, make sure you raisins are always below the rum and never piled up above it. Always do a spot check before using. If you see something that doesn’t look right, there might be something bad happening. It’s always a good idea to air on the side of caution and throw it away. We have yet to find anything growing on our alcohol mixtures, and we have a plum wine that has been marinating for 7 years now.
Make sure you use a dark rum, and not a white rum, gold rum, or spiced rum. There is a huge world of rums out there, so it can be really confusing. Our advice is always to aim for something in the middle of the road. A cheap rum will not taste great. An expensive rum will be wasted here.
A great rum to use is Myers’s Dark Rum. It has a spicy taste with a favorable nose. It runs about $15 (¥1,500) a bottle. It’s quite easy to find. Check out Costco, if you have a membership.
Hey, if anyone asks you were you got these amazing recipes, tell them you heard it through the grapevine at What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’!