Sugarplums

I have to admit that I'd never had a sugar plum before today. I've heard of them many times at Christmas but I honestly had no idea what they were. These are "easy" sugarplums, so I'm unsure how authentic they are but they were easy to make, tasty to eat and fairly healthy, too.

I don't know if you'll have visions of them dancing in your head, but you should give them a try... ;)

Here's all you do:

Throw some dried fruits and nuts (in about a 5:1 ratio of fruits to nuts) of your choice into your food processor.

I used a mixture of dates, figs, mixed raisins, prunes, apricots, cherry-flavored dried cranberries and almonds. You can use whatever fruits or nuts you like.

Pulse in food processor until it is very finely chopped.

Put into a bowl.

Heat a small amount of honey and mix with spices. I used cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. But you can also use fennel, cardamom, anise...

Mix into fruit and nut mixture until it is slightly more sticky.

Form into small balls, about walnut-sized. I used a small scoop, firmly packed.

Let sit on counter about 1 hour.

Then roll in granulated sugar.

Place on parchment paper and let sit out 12-24 hours before placing in container to store.  Should be eaten within a day or two.