Have you ever wondered about that line in "Twas the Night Before Christmas"? What exactly are Sugar Plums? I always figured that maybe they were just a variety of the plum. But why would children dream of plums? It would be like dreaming of dancing apples or oranges - that doesn't sound like a very good dream. So once again I did a little exploring on the Internet.
Sugar plums are confections (candy) and are quite easy to make. The original Sugar Plums were sugar coated coriander with small bits of dried fruit added. The current recipe is not as spicy. Anyway, the reason why the childen had visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads is because they tasted so good. Here is the recipe so you too can have dreams of dancing sugar plums:
Sugar Plums
from Saveur Magazine
2 cups whole almonds
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1 cup pitted dates, finely chopped
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in oven for ten minutes. Set aside to cool and then finely chop. Meanwhile, combine honey, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Mix almonds, apricots, dates and spice mix in a large bowl. Mix well. Pinch off rounded teaspoon-sized pieces and roll into balls. Dust the sugar plums with powdered sugar and refrigerate in single layers between sheets of wax paper in airtight containers for up to one month.
Enjoy!!
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