Sugar Plums

Ingredients

12 12 sugar plum balls

½ cup California Prunes about 3.25 oz
½ cup walnuts toasted & coarsely chopped (about 2 oz)
¼ cup dates pitted & chopped (just over 1 oz, about 5) or dried figs
¼ cup dried cranberries about 1.25 oz
¼ cup hazelnut meal or almond meal* toasted (or hazelnut or almond flour) (see note to use whole nuts)
2 Tablespoons apricot preserves or honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 pinch fine sea salt
½ cup sugar I use coarse sugar for crunch

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Spread the nuts out in a single layer on one side of a sheet pan, and pour the nut meal in a pile on the other side, and flatten with you hand or a spatula so it's an even layer, about ¼ inch thick.
Place the sheet pan in the oven for 8 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
Put the chopped prunes, walnuts, dates and cranberries in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are chopped into small, even pieces.
Stop before the mixture becomes a ball.
Add the toasted nut meal, apricot preserves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and salt.
Pulse several times (you may need to stop to scrape down the sides) until the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture will hold itself together when rolled into a ball.
You should still see some texture from the fruit & nuts.
Line a tray or container with wax or parchment paper.
Scoop the mixture into heaping 1 tablespoon portions and roll into 1 inch balls, and place on the paper.
Roll the sugarplums in the sugar just before serving.

Per serving