Sugar Plums

The original sugar plum was probably a hard-shell candy. Today's recipes include dried fruits and nuts

We know about sugar plums because of the “Nutcracker Suite” and “The Night Before Christmas,” but what exactly were sugar plums? It's difficult to find a definitive answer. Food historians tend to dismiss the idea that sugar plums were made from actual plums. The earliest sugar plums were probably a candy with a coriander or nut center coated with several layers of boiled sugar.

Over time, “sugar plum” became a term applied to various types of candy that are approximately the size of a plum. Most modern recipes include dried fruits and nuts, held together with honey and formed into a ball. Here are a few recipes:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Sugar-Plums

http://nourishedkitchen.com/sugar-plums-recipe/

http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2009/12/sugar-plums-recipe-and-field-guide-to.html

We repurposed empty aluminum Illy coffee containers to hold our sugar plums. Labels can be affixed to cover the original typography on the cans and the lid can be spray painted to match the colors of the label.