LEMON PLUM DROPS

For most of my childhood, I thought prunes were disgusting.  Not because I'd ever tasted one, mind you, but because I got the impression that they were gross.  I can remember watching cartoons and TV shows as a kid and characters, when offered prunes, would stick out their tongues and wrinkle their noses.  There's also that idea of being wrinkled and old like a prune.  Not a raisin -- a prune.  But once I tried one, I realized something pretty profound: prunes are f***ing goooood.  All squishy and delicious and sh**....  Man, if you haven't tried them you're missing out and they've gotten a bad rap for way too long.  So bad, in fact, that if I called this recipe "Lemon Prune Drops" I might've risked you not looking at it.  But here's a fun tip: You can substitute prune puree for about half the fat in a baking recipe, best used in cakes and breads.  Prunetastic!

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 c. flour
pinch of salt
2 tbsp. water
1/2 c. prunes

1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c. honey
1 1/2 tsp. water

1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Combine flour and salt and set aside.

3. In a small food processor, add 2 tbsp. water to prunes and puree.  (By the way, this is the standard recipe for prune puree that you can use to replace half the fat in a baking recipe.  Of course, I decided to go for broke and replace all the fat, but that's not for everybody.)

4. Mix together prune puree, lemon zest, sugar, honey and 1 1/2 tsp. water until very smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides.

5. In a large cup, combine lemon juice and baking soda (science project, anyone?)

6.  Add lemon juice mixture to prune mixture.

7.  Add flour in intervals, mixing in as you go.

8. Mix the dough by hand a bit, kneading so you can get everything stuck together and all the ingredients can enjoy each other's company.

9.  Roll into 1" balls and bake for 10-15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.  I also tried making 1/2" balls and they cook quicker (maybe 6-8 minutes) and are more bite-sized.  

This recipe is a spin-off of the one I found at Sophistimom.  The drops didn't flatten out like the original recipe and I think they lacked the original lemoniness, but they were good nonetheless.  The prune puree as a substitute for fat is really best used in cakey things, not cookie-type baked goods, but I was okay with it.  They were definitely chewy and not something I would have made if I'd known how they would turn out, but I found myself looking forward to eating them after dinner and I kind of couldn't stop.  So take that as you will -- they're a little weird but a lot yummy.

Official Grade: B+