Homemade Sugar Plums! ✨🧚♀️ Believe it or not, making this famous Christmas treat is super easy, and they taste amazing!
Originally, sugar plums were hard candies with sugar coating, typically surrounding a nut or spice. The name “plum” came from their round or oval shape.
Nowadays, the most popular sugar plum recipe involves a mix of dried fruits, nuts, and aromatic spices, all rolled into a plum shape and coated in crunchy sugar. It’s easy to make and absolutely delicious (and kind of healthy too!). Here’s our take on the recipe – we love to add purple sanding sugar for extra flair (totally optional) and a small sprig of rosemary on top for cuteness!
Simple, tasty, and perfect for the holidays, these Sugar Plums are a unique treat to whip up this festive season! Packed with dried fruit, warming spices, and a sugary crunch, they’ll definitely get you into the holiday spirit.
Sugar Plums
Ingredients
- ½ cup finely chopped prunes
- ¼ cup finely chopped dried apricots or dates
- ¼ cup finely chopped dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped toasted unsalted almonds
- ¼ cup chopped toasted unsalted pecans
- 2 tablespoons cherry jam
- ¾ tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp cardamom
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup coarse sugar for coating purple sugar used in this recipe
Instructions
- For extra flavor, toast the nuts by spreading them on a sheet pan and baking at 350˚F for 6-7 minutes until fragrant.
- Finely chop all dried fruit. In a food processor, pulse the fruit and nuts until finely chopped. Add all other ingredients (except sugar) and pulse until sticky and well combined.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the plums, then shape them into ovals. Optionally, use a toothpick to make an indentation on the front. Roll in sugar until well coated and (optional) insert a small rosemary sprig on top as a stem. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store these sugar plums in the refrigerator for several weeks or freeze for long-term storage (up to 6 months).
- Get creative with dried fruits and nuts, but keep the quantities the same!
- Toasting the nuts adds extra flavor, though it’s not mandatory.
- Chop all fruit before using the food processor for even-sized pieces, avoiding large chunks.