Christmas Puddini Bonbons (2024)

These are delectable little bonbons made by mixing up cooked and cooled Christmas pudding (see Additional Information below), liquor, syrup and melted chocolate, rolling them into small balls, then dripping melted white chocolate on them and arranging small pieces of red and green glacé cherries on top. And, although they look like miniature Christmas puddings, they taste like meltingly rich, spiced chocolate truffles. These babies have got everything going for them.

And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

These are delectable little bonbons made by mixing up cooked and cooled Christmas pudding (see Additional Information below), liquor, syrup and melted chocolate, rolling them into small balls, then dripping melted white chocolate on them and arranging small pieces of red and green glacé cherries on top. And, although they look like miniature Christmas puddings, they taste like meltingly rich, spiced chocolate truffles. These babies have got everything going for them.

And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

• 

  NIGELLA CHRISTMAS

  2008

1. Line a baking sheet (that will fit in the fridge) with clingfilm, baking parchment, foil or Bake-O-Glide, and set it to one side while you make the bonbons.
2. Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended above a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
3. Crumble the cold Christmas pudding into a bowl, add the Pedro Ximénez sherry and golden syrup and stir briskly till all is incorporated.
4. Pour in the melted dark chocolate and stir again: this will make the mixture much more cohesive.
5. To make this step easier, put on a pair of those disposable vinyl gloves sold in hardware stores and supermarkets, pinch out small lumps of mixture and roll so that you have little rounds about the size of a chocolate truffle. You should get about 30 out of this mixture; fight the impatient urge to make these balls larger as you go.
6. Cover with clingfilm and slot into the fridge to firm up.
7. To decorate, melt the white chocolate either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, then let it cool for about 5 minutes, to make it easier to work with, while you chop the red cherries into small pieces (to evoke berries), and snip the green cherries (or angelica) into miniature lengths, to represent leaves.
8. Using a teaspoon, drip a little of the melted but slightly cooled white chocolate on each bonbon, then arrange the infuriatingly sticky pieces of cherry on top.
9. Place in boxes to give away — if you use small boxes that will fit 6 bonbons each, you will get 5 adorable presents out of this — or on a plate to hand round with coffee, instead of dessert, after a post-Christmas dinner.

1. Line a baking sheet (that will fit in the fridge) with clingfilm, baking parchment, foil or Bake-O-Glide, and set it to one side while you make the bonbons.
2. Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended above a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
3. Crumble the cold Christmas pudding into a bowl, add the Pedro Ximénez sherry and golden syrup or light corn syrup and stir briskly till all is incorporated.
4. Pour in the melted bittersweet chocolate and stir again: this will make the mixture much more cohesive.
5. To make this step easier, put on a pair of those disposable vinyl gloves sold in hardware stores and supermarkets, pinch out small lumps of mixture and roll so that you have little rounds about the size of a chocolate truffle. You should get about 30 out of this mixture; fight the impatient urge to make these balls larger as you go.
6. Cover with clingfilm and slot into the fridge to firm up.
7. To decorate, melt the white chocolate either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, then let it cool for about 5 minutes, to make it easier to work with, while you chop the red cherries into small pieces (to evoke berries), and snip the green cherries (or angelica) into miniature lengths, to represent leaves.
8. Using a teaspoon, drip a little of the melted but slightly cooled white chocolate on each bonbon, then arrange the infuriatingly sticky pieces of cherry on top.
9. Place in boxes to give away — if you use small boxes that will fit 6 bonbons each, you will get 5 adorable presents out of this — or on a plate to hand round with coffee, instead of dessert, after a post-Christmas dinner.