Making dirty blondies 2 - Dinner With Julie

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sorenson
November 17, 2025 at 11:30 pm #
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It’s delicious solitaired food

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dinnerwithjulie

I write cookbooks, talk about food on CBC Radio and write about it in the Globe + Mail (and other places!), love feeding people. 🏳️‍🌈

As @juliawriter put it, water being fancy for us 🤍

As @juliawriter put it, water being fancy for us 🤍

the fiery skies are back

the fiery skies are back

Friends, we’re going to bake together again! I h

In last weekend’s Globe and Mail, I wrote about su

In last weekend’s Globe and Mail, I wrote about sugarplums - confections made of dried fruit and nuts popularized by Clement Clarke Moore’s nineteenth century poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, can be blitzed up in the food processor in a few minutes, rolled into balls and be ready to go. They’re the ultimate cupboard-cleaner: rummage through your pantry for dried or candied fruit, nuts, seeds, nut or seed butter, cocoa and preserves — anything from honey to marmalade to mincemeat, aiming for a combination of sticky, dry and gooey ingredients that blended together, will create a moist mixture you can squeeze into a ball.

You really don’t need a recipe for these — no need to measure.

Sugarplums

a handful or two of dried fruit, such as dates, figs (stems trimmed), apricots, raisins, cherries
a smaller handful of nuts and/or seeds (salted or not)
a shake of coconut, if you have (and like) it
a big spoonful of peanut or almond butter or tahini
a drizzle (or another big spoonful) of honey or maple or golden syrup, or sticky sweet preserves such as jam, marmalade or mincemeat
a smaller spoonful of cocoa
a bit of grated orange zest (optional)
1/4 tsp almond or vanilla extract (optional)
a shake of cinnamon (optional)

coarse sugar, shredded coconut or cocoa, for rolling

Combine everything in the bowl of a food processor, chopping any larger dried fruit into smaller pieces, and pulse until well-blended and you have a mixture that is moist and sticky enough that it holds its shape when you squeeze it together, but not so sticky that it makes a mess of your hands. If it’s too sticky, add some dry ingredients, like cocoa, dry oats, cereal or dry cookies. If the mixture is too dry, add something moist, like a drizzle of honey or a bit more nut butter.

Place some coarse sugar or cocoa into a shallow dish. Roll the fruit and nut mixture into about 1-inch balls and roll in sugar or cocoa to coat. Place on a serving plate or in individual paper cups. Store covered at room temperature. Makes as many as you like.

Sugarplums, take 1 🙄 I wrote about these for last

Sugarplums, take 1 🙄

I wrote about these for last weekend‘s Globe and Mail! I will post a photo on my regular Instagram feed so you can see what they actually look like!

Sugarplums

You really don’t need a recipe for these — start with some dried fruit and go from there, blitzing any combination of ingredients that will wind up moist enough to hold its shape when squeezed into a ball. No need to measure.

a handful or two of dried fruit, such as dates, figs (stems trimmed), apricots, raisins, cherries
a smaller handful of nuts and/or seeds (salted or not)
a shake of coconut, if you have (and like) it
a big spoonful of peanut or almond butter or tahini
a drizzle (or another big spoonful) of honey or maple or golden syrup, or sticky sweet preserves such as jam, marmalade or mincemeat
a smaller spoonful of cocoa
a bit of grated orange zest (optional)
1/4 tsp almond or vanilla extract (optional)
a shake of cinnamon (optional)

coarse sugar, shredded coconut or cocoa, for rolling

Combine everything in the bowl of a food processor, chopping any larger dried fruit into smaller pieces, and pulse until well-blended and you have a mixture that is moist and sticky enough that it holds its shape when you squeeze it together, but not so sticky that it makes a mess of your hands. If it’s too sticky, add some dry ingredients, like cocoa, dry oats, cereal or dry cookies. If the mixture is too dry, add something moist, like a drizzle of honey or a bit more nut butter.

Place some coarse sugar or cocoa into a shallow dish. Roll the fruit and nut mixture into about 1-inch balls and roll in sugar or cocoa to coat. Place on a serving plate or in individual paper cups. Store covered at room temperature.

Makes as many as you like!

I’m not very crafty, I don’t own a sewing machine,

I’m not very crafty, I don’t own a sewing machine, but I made this stocking by hand using an old sweater I thrifted for five dollars!

Instagram post 18024639251769330

Instagram post 18024639251769330

Terri-fried dough! Use any yeast doughnut dough -

Terri-fried dough! Use any yeast doughnut dough - this is the one I used!

https://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/2021/07/11/mini-doughnuts/

Tuesday, October 28 we’ll make chocolate chip cook

Tuesday, October 28 we’ll make chocolate chip cookies, and learn how the ratios of the ingredients determines their texture! You’ll need some butter, brown sugar, white sugar, an egg, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips or chopped chocolate!

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Find my recipes from the Calgary Eyeopener!

Find my recipes from the Calgary Eyeopener!

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in the archives

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Meet Julie
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Writing