Sugarplums
“No cooking at all and a perfect way to combine dried fruit with almonds.”
- 160g whole almonds or hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded dates
- 2 tsp almond or hazelnut oil or a neutral-flavoured oil
- 1/2 cup pure icing sugar
I have never been sure what a sugarplum was, but they sounded luscious and exciting. So when I found an American recipe for "sugarplums" in an old issue of Saveur magazine, I had to try them.
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place whole almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes and then cool.
Chop in a food processor until quite fine but not to dust. Add all other ingredients to food processor except the oil and the icing sugar. Quickly pulse a few times to mix, or do this in a mixing bowl.
Turn mix into a bowl and rub your hands with a little of the oil. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces and roll into balls. When all balls are rolled (you will need to re-oil your hands at least once as the mix is very sticky), sift over the icing sugar and roll balls in it to coat well.
Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate if the weather is very hot.
Makes 20
