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Sugar Plums
Sugar Plums is a traditional British recipe for the classic Christmas confection of dried fruit and nuts bound in a sugar and honey blend flavoured with spices that's traditionally served on Christmas Eve and which dates back to the Georgian and Victorian periods. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Sugar Plums.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
30 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Additional Time:
(+2 days drying)
Makes:
16–20
Rating: 
Tags : Spice RecipesBritish Recipes
Rather than being, as many imagine, plums preserved in sugar syrup, sugar plums are actually a blend of dried fruit and nuts flavoured with spices and bound with sugar and/or honey that are rolled into balls. Indeed, these classic
Christmas Eve treats are very easy to make and guaranteed to charm kids young and old.
Method:
Heat a small, non-stick pan, add the aniseeds, fennel seeds, caraway seeds and cardamon seeds and cook, stirring constantly, for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until lightly toasted and aromatic (be careful they do not burn). Take off the heat, turn into a mortar and pound lightly to bruise then set aside.
In the meantime, combine the almonds, plums, apricots and figs in a food processor. Pulse briefly about 20 times or until all the ingredients are finely chopped (but do not over mix, they should not be a solid mass). Turn this mixture into a bowl, add the spices and salt then mix in the powdered sugar before pouring over the honey.
Mix well with your fingers to combine then scoop the mixture into 1 1/2 tsp portions and roll these into balls before rolling in the golden caster sugar to coat. Set aside on a wire rack as you roll and coat the remainder of the mixture.
Leave the sugar plums out for a couple of days to dry, then transfer to an air-tight container where they can be stored for up to a month.
In the Georgian period, these were also the basis for 'kissing comfits', where the sugar plums were flavoured with aromatics such as ambergris, musk, peppermint and citrus oils and were used for sweetening the breath.
Find more classic Christmas recipes here.
