Sugar Plums (No-Bake Spiced Dried Fruit “Plums”)

Festive, fruitcake-meets-truffle bites made from dried fruit, toasted nuts, warm spices, and a crunchy sugar coat—shaped like tiny plums for a holiday-perfect treat.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (75g) unsalted almonds
• 1/2 cup (60g) unsalted pecans
• 1 cup (170g) pitted prunes
• 3/4 cup (120g) dried apricots
• 1/2 cup (70g) dried cranberries
• 3 tbsp (60g) cherry jam (or any jam you like)
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup coarse sugar (or regular sugar), for rolling
• 18 small rosemary tips (optional, for “stems”)

Method

• 1

  Step 1: Toast the nuts

  Heat oven to **350°F / 175°C**. Spread almonds and pecans on a tray and toast **6–7 minutes**, until fragrant (watch closely; nuts go from perfect to burnt fast). Cool **5 minutes**.

• 2

  Step 2: Pre-chop for even blending

  Roughly chop prunes and apricots into 2–3cm / 1-inch pieces (this helps the food processor chop evenly without forming a paste too early).

• 3

  Step 3: Pulse fruit and nuts

  Add toasted nuts, prunes, apricots, and cranberries to a food processor. Pulse **10–15 times** until finely chopped, like a chunky crumble (stop before it becomes a smooth paste).

• 4

  Step 4: Flavor and bind

  Add jam, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom (if using), and salt. Pulse **6–10 times** until the mixture becomes sticky and starts clumping together.

• 5

  Step 5: Shape into “plums”

  Scoop **1 tablespoon** portions (about 20g each). Roll into balls, then gently shape into an oval/plum shape.

• 6

  Step 6: Sugar-coat

  Pour coarse sugar into a bowl. Roll each sugar plum until fully coated (press lightly so the sugar adheres).

• 7

  Step 7: Add stems (optional)

  Press a small indentation into the top with your fingertip and insert a tiny rosemary tip.

• 8

  Step 8: Set and serve

  For the best texture, chill **30 minutes** (optional but recommended) to help them firm up and slice-clean when bitten.

Tips

• **No food processor?** Chop everything very finely with a knife, then mix hard with a spoon until sticky and cohesive.
• **Swap dried fruit:** Dates can replace apricots (use the same amount). Raisins/golden raisins can replace cranberries.
• **Jam choices:** Raspberry, apricot, fig, or orange marmalade all work well—pick something bright to lift the dried fruit.
• **Spice shortcut:** Replace all spices with **2 tsp pumpkin spice** (still add the salt).
• **Storage:** Refrigerate in an airtight container up to **3 weeks**. Freeze up to **6 months**; thaw in the fridge overnight.
• **Serving idea:** Arrange in mini cupcake liners on a platter—great for cookie boxes and holiday parties.

Nutrition (per serving, estimate)