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Are you wondering if sugar plums are real? Here's how to make the traditional sugar plum candy and everything you need to know about sugar plums!

Here's the scoop: sugar plums are a traditional holiday candy made of dried fruit, toasted nuts and crunchy sugar. They are completely delicious and incredibly easy to make. Taste one, and you'll find most of the holiday flavors you love are wrapped up in one bite!

So, why are they called "sugar plums" anyway?

Way back in the 17th century, folks wrapped seeds or nuts in a hard sugar coating, which took days to produce and special skills, since nothing was mechanized and sugar work was done by eye. The process is called "panning"- and the modern day Jordan almond would be a good example of that. The resulting sugar-coated treats were round but not perfectly circular, similar to the shape of... wait for it... a plum. Due to the cost of the ingredients and the time to make them, sugar plums were only enjoyed by wealthy folks. Boiling fruit with sugar was also the most popular way to preserve fruit - including plums.

"Full of sugar plums" actually came to mean that someone was rich, and "mouth full of sugar plums" meant someone spoke sweetly but probably meant something else - similar to "bless your heart" in the South. I may start calling people sugar plum while delivering side eye. You've been warned.

Fast forward about 200 years, and candy making, food preservation and language had all taken big leaps forward. Sugar was easier to find, fruit and nuts easier to dry, and "plum" meant "good" in addition to meaning a fruit. That's where Sugar Plums 2.0 make their debut. This is the candy we've come to love during the holiday season.

Here's what sweet dreams are made of:

Sugar plums are made of dried fruit (including prunes, which are specific varieties of dried plums), toasted nuts, warm spices and a crunchy sugar coating. Anyone who tells you that they don't include dried plums or a crunchy coating is simply lying to you. You can tell them I said it. Alton Brown agrees with me. You can take into account that my family grows prunes if you like, which certainly colors my opinion but also doesn't change the facts.

In addition to the prunes, nuts, spices & sugar, I use cranberries and apricot preserves, because I like the sweet/tart contrast they bring.

So, how do you make them?

I'm glad you asked. Making sugar plums is pretty easy. You chop up some dried fruit, and toast some nuts and nut flour/meal. Then you dump all that in a food processor with spices and a bit of fruit preserves or honey and blitz it up. Then you roll it in balls, and then roll the balls in sugar. Sound like energy balls/bliss bites/power balls? Exactly. It's exactly the same method and ingredients, minus the sugar. So you can feel pretty good about eating several of these, and feeding them to your kids too.

Pro tip: everyone freaks out about prunes and pooping. The real truth is this: prunes have fiber, like all dried fruit. They are great for gut health and bone health too. The U.S. is the only country that considers them the poop fruit - they're simply delicious in other countries, which is why you find them in French, British & Italian desserts and lots of Indian & Middle Eastern cuisine. The recommended serving is 4-5 prunes per day, and your won't hit the danger zone unless you eat 10+ in one sitting. Why do I know this? My family grows prunes. Plus I read.

Once you've made your own sugar plums, try my friend Meg's Sugar Plum Cookies and this Warm Sugar Plum Cocktail. Start impressing your friends and yourself with all the holiday goodness, people.

Try my Prosciutto Wrapped Prunes and Christmas Candy Chocolate Bark too!

Traditional Sugar Plums Recipe

K.C. Cornwell

Here’s a recipe to make traditional sugar plum candies with dried fruit, toasted nuts, warm spices and crunchy sugar.The recipe can be doubled to make extra treats - Sugar Plums are a fabulous gift.