YIELD: 24 SUGAR PLUMS
These little gems have become well known from their very important cameo in the classic Christmas tale, and, even though they may conjure up images of sugar-covered plums in your mind, they actually have never contained any plums at all. “Plum” used to be a popular way to describe any dried fruit, but sugar plums usually contained a mixture of dates, apricots, or figs to achieve their sweetness.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 °F and spread the almonds in an even layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes, or until fragrant.
Place almonds, zest, figs, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.
Add in the agave, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse again, until the mixture comes together easily.
Pinch into 1-inch balls and roll in the confectioner’s sugar.
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
½ cup chopped dried figs
½ cup chopped dried dates
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
2 tablespoons agave
½ cup confectioners sugar for dusting
