We’ve all heard of sugarplums before, most likely from the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker (which everyone must see at least once, in my humble opinion).
But have you ever eaten a sugarplum? Do you even know what is in a sugarplum? I hadn’t, nor did I know what a sugarplum was. Turns out, my beloved Alton Brown had a traditional sugar plum recipe.
They are really easy, almost healthy, and unique. However, I didn’t like them all that much. I don’t like licorice. Anise seed tastes like licorice. I was hoping the anise would be subtle enough for me not to notice, but I did. Good news for licorice lovers though – you’ll love these! I think I’ll try again without the anise seed. I’m sure I’ll love them then.
Try something new this holiday!
Sugarplums
Adapted from Alton Brown
Yield: About 60
Difficult: Easy
Prep time: About 30 to 45 minutes (not sure why the recipe online says 13 hours…must be a typo)
- 6 ounces slivered almonds, toasted
- 4 ounces dried plums
- 4 ounces dried apricots
- 4 ounces dried figs
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds, toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup coarse sugar
1. Place the dried fruit and nuts in a food processor and pulse until small but not combined fully.
2. Add the powdered sugar, spices, and honey. Pulse until moist and mixture comes together.
3. Scoop into small 1/4 ounce balls and roll in hand to compress. Then roll in sugar.
4. You are done! Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Oh, I must give these a whirl. I love licorice, AND I spent my formative years dancing various roles in our small-town, local production of the Nutcracker. Perfect!
This sounds better than the sugarplum recipe I used from a Victorian-era cookbook (which is basically stewed prunes, dried and coated with sugar).