I have made sugar plums several times over the years with varying success. These historical Christmas treats mentioned in the poem "The Night Before Christmas" feature ground nuts and dried fruit rolled in balls and dredged in sugar. This version is the best I have made and the soaked nuts made a difference in their consistency. The recipe is very versatile and you can use the following method as a guide.
Soak 1-1/4 cups of walnuts (or other nut) in salted water overnight. Drain, rinse and pat dry.
Coarsely chop 2 to 2-1/2 cups of dried fruit. I used dried apricots, soaked figs, dates, and prunes.
Measure spices as desired. I used 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and some freshly grated nutmeg. You could use other spices if you prefer.
Add the grated zest of one orange.
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until it comes together in a coarse paste. Roll in balls with your hands (1 tbsp/15 ml) and then roll the sugar plum in granulated sugar. Alternately, they could be rolled in coconut or hemp seeds.
Makes about 2 dozen gluten free, grain free, fat free (other than the nuts), vegan treats. Nutrients calculated for 1/25 of recipe with sugar coating.
No comments:
Post a Comment