Hi Michelle! It sounds like you have a few different things going on. You always want to temper more chocolate than you need for a tiny recipe like this, because it's very difficult to temper small amounts of chocolate at a time. You didn't really offer any details about how your chocolate went awry the second time, but it sounds like it probably broke, either due to heating up too quickly or because some water got into it. Without knowing what recipe you're using to make your rum balls, it's impossible to say why they fell apart, but do feel free to reach out to our free and friendly Baker's Hotline so we can help you troubleshoot in more detail. Happy baking! 

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