SUGAR PLUMS FOR CHRISTMAS!

My daughter and family arrived for Christmas armed with SUGAR PLUMS, O MY!!!

So good, sweet and rich.  Dare I enjoy more than one?  Well, since it's Christmas and they are completely Plant-Based, maybe two would be OK?  I must confess, the second one melted in my mouth as easily as the first one.  One look at the recipe reminded me that fat and sugar, regardless of the source, even nuts and dried fruit, are rare treats for me and for anyone whose goal is optimum health.  So enjoy this rare treat today and then not again until next Christmas!

Visions of Sugar Plums

The Sugar Plum Fairy gets her name from a

traditional Christmas treat from England. They were

originally plums covered in sugar. They later became

small, plum-shaped candies made from dried fruit,

nuts, honey, and spices coated in sugar. Here’s a

recipe for making your own sugar plums.

Preheat the oven to 400º. Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast

them in the oven for 10 minutes. In a food processor, chop the almonds and dried fruit. In

a bowl, mix together the orange zest, spices, and honey. Add the chopped nuts and fruit

and mix well.

Pinch off rounded teaspoon-sized pieces of the mixture and roll them into balls. Roll the

balls in the powdered sugar and refrigerate them in single layers between sheets of

waxed paper in airtight containers.

Makes about 36 sugar plums.

2 cups whole almonds

1 cup mixed dried fruit, such as

prunes, apricots, dates, or figs

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup honey

1 cup powdered sugar