Sugar Plums: 1 Easy No-Bake Christmas Candy and the Real Story Behind the Nutcracker Treat

Sugar plums are one of the most famous Christmas treats in the world, and almost nobody today knows what they really are. Children in the old poem had visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, and a fairy in The Nutcracker is named after them. Most of us picture plums rolled in sugar. Here is the surprise: they were never sugared plums at all. Below is the real story, and an easy no-bake version you can make for your Christmas candy tray in about 20 minutes..

What Sugar Plums Really Were

Long ago, sugar plums were a kind of comfit. A comfit is a tiny center, like a seed, a nut or a bit of spice, coated in many thin layers of hard sugar. The centers included caraway, fennel, coriander and cardamom seeds, and whole almonds. The first ones were sold by apothecaries, the drugstores of their day.

Making them was slow, careful work. Cooks used a method called panning: they swirled the centers in a warm pan, added a little sugar syrup, let it dry, and did it again and again. A fine comfit could have up to 30 layers of sugar. In 1609, an English writer named Sir Hugh Platt published instructions for making them at home. Sugar was costly, so these little candies were a treat for the rich.

You can still see their great-grandchildren today in sugar-coated Jordan almonds, the pastel candies often handed out at weddings. In the 1800s, the word plum came to mean anything sweet and delightful, which helps explain why candies with no plums inside kept the name.

How a Poem and a Ballet Made Sugar Plums Famous

In 1823, a poem called A Visit From St. Nicholas was first printed without the author’s name. It is now credited to Clement Clarke Moore, and you know it as The Night Before Christmas. Its line about children with visions of sugar plums in their heads turned the candy into a symbol of Christmas Eve.

Then, in 1892, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker opened in Russia, with the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Today the ballet is a holiday tradition across America, and the name sounds magical to every child who hears that music. For more old-fashioned holiday treats, see our Victorian Christmas recipes from A Christmas Carol.

Easy No-Bake Sugar Plums Recipe

Real comfits take hours of panning. Our modern sugar plums are a simple no-bake candy made from dried fruit, nuts, honey and warm spices, rolled in sparkling sugar. They taste like a cross between a fruitcake and a truffle, and they keep well, so they are perfect for gifts. Makes about 24. Prep 20 minutes. Chill 30 minutes.

• 1 cup whole almonds, toasted
• 1 cup soft pitted Medjool dates (about 12)
• 1/2 cup dried plums (prunes) or dried apricots
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sparkling sugar or coarse sanding sugar, for rolling

1. Pulse the toasted almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, then tip them into a bowl.
2. Add the dates, dried plums or apricots and cranberries to the processor and pulse until they form a sticky paste.
3. Return the almonds and add the honey, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt. Pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched.
4. Scoop level tablespoons and roll them into smooth balls with slightly damp hands.
5. Roll each ball in the sparkling sugar until coated all over.
6. Chill on a parchment-lined tray for 30 minutes, then set them in mini paper cups.

Tip: if the mixture feels too dry, add a teaspoon of honey or water. If it feels too wet, pulse in a few more almonds. A drop of almond or vanilla extract gives them a bakery-style aroma. You can make the mixture up to 2 days ahead, keep it covered in the fridge, and roll the balls when you have a free half hour. Kids love the rolling part, so it is a fun job to share on a cozy weekend afternoon.

Fun Flavor Twists for Your Christmas Candy Tray

Once you have the base, it is easy to make a whole tray of different flavors. Try rolling some in shredded coconut for a snowball look, some in finely chopped pistachios for a green Christmas color, and some in cocoa powder. You can also dip the chilled balls halfway in melted dark chocolate. Want a nut-free batch for school? Swap the almonds for sunflower seeds or rolled oats. Which coating would you choose: sparkling sugar, coconut, pistachio or chocolate? For more holiday sweets, browse our homemade fudge and Christmas candy.

How to Gift and Store Them

These little candies make lovely homemade gifts for neighbors, teachers and hosts. Line a cookie tin with parchment, set them in gold or red mini paper cups, and tie it with ribbon. Add a little card with the story of what sugar plums really were, and people will remember your gift.

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Roll them in fresh sugar before serving if the coating looks damp. Because they contain tree nuts, label your gifts for anyone with allergies.

Planning a Nutcracker night? Set the candies on a pretty cake stand next to a pot of hot cocoa or spiced cider, a bowl of clementines and a few gingerbread cookies. They also look beautiful on a cheese board, where the sweet fruit and spice go well with sharp cheddar, blue cheese and salty crackers. One batch is plenty for a family movie night with a little left over for Santa.

This year, set out a plate of sugar plums on Christmas Eve, play the Nutcracker music and read The Night Before Christmas out loud. It is a sweet way to connect your family to a tradition that is hundreds of years old. To learn more, read National Geographic’s history of sugar plums.