Gourmet Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices Recipe (2024)

By Christina | Food Apparel 36 Comments

For a fancy-schmancy holiday treat that looks too pretty to eat, go for these Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices!

Growing up, my dad had two Christmas treats that were sure to show up in the stocking every year: Cordial Cherries and Orange Slices. Yep, those were his trademark items. So, you can bet how excited I was when I walked into the Amano Chocolate Factory Storeand discovered that they hadsuperbly gourmet versions of each of these! Like, I’m talking top of the line deliciousness. And I didn’t even like cordial cherries, and was on the fence about orange slices until this encounter….. (of course I’m talking the bulk processed packaged kind of each, so they really aren’t comparable at all.)

I wondered how Amanoachieved their final outcome with their oranges. Because so many candied oranges just seem and look sticky and icky to me. But their oranges were perfectly dried yet pliable. And they tasted fabulous. Luckily, Amano shared their little secret with us that makes all the difference. Instead of boiling the oranges in syrup to candy them, theysoak/macerate them in a cooled simple syrup (I make a rich simple syrup) overnight and then dry them out. They said they used a food dehydrator. We’re actually still figuring that one out for timing and temp, but have had fabulous results in an oven.

These candied orange slices are really so simple, yet so sophisticated. They are the perfect adult Christmas treat gift that’s a little different than all of the peppermint bark and fudge that seem to be everywhere this time of year (although those sweet treats still hold a dear place in my taste buds! In fact we’ll be sharing our yummy versions this weekend). And my kids actually love them, too! This can still count as fruit for the day, right? Ummmmm…..maybe not. But, I’ll try to stretch the rules for you.

CourseCandy

Author Christina Lakey

Ingredients

  • 2cupsgranulated sugar
  • 1cupwater
  • 2large navel oranges, sliced into 1/8 inch slicesleave on rind, zest, and all
  • 1-2cupsdark chocolate morsels or chunkswe like Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Amano - Morobe or Dos Rios are excellent pairings with this, for dipping

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water.

  2. Heat mixture until sugar dissolves completely and mixture starts to boil.

  3. Remove from heat, pour into wide, shallow Tupperware, and cool completely.

  4. When syrup has cooled completely layer your sliced oranges in the syrup, pushing them down until all are mostly covered.

  5. Cover container to seal and place in refrigerator overnight (I've left them for as long as two days before candying.)

  6. Preheat oven to 170 degrees F. (You can have some variation here - please see notes.)

  7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Nest a wire cooling rack on top of the parchment.

  8. Place your oranges on the wire rack. (The wire rack allows the drying to come from top and bottom so that they oranges can dry evenly).

  9. Place oranges in oven. If you have a convection feature on your oven, turn it on. Leave the oven cracked open about 2 inches.

  10. Dry oranges for 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours, rotating pan every 30 minutes, and flipping oranges every hour to maintain uniform drying.

  11. You will know that the oranges are done when they are pliable and dry to the touch.

  12. Let oranges cool completely.

  13. Temper your chocolate over a double boiler (here are some handy tempering instructions) or heat chocolate morsels in microwave in 15-30 second increments at 50% power until melted.

  14. Dip 1/2 of orange into chocolate and place on waxed paper.

  15. If desired, sprinkle fleur de sel (or other coarse salt) over top of chocolate.

  16. Let cool until set.

Recipe Notes

Tips for drying:
Convection in the oven is a wonderful thing! It helps create an airflow around the oranges for drying. However, if you don't have it, don't fret. Cracking the door open and using the wire rack also assist really well with drying. You may just need to leave them in a little longer.
You may also dry at a lower temperature (down to about 130 degrees) if you desire. Once again, you just want to continue to check the oranges about every 30 minutes, rotating them to avoid hot spots that could end up burning. Depending on how low you go, it could take considerably longer, but low temperature is key to not burning and having perfect chewy results.

Laying out the oranges for baking/drying after the syrup soak

When done, oranges should be dry to the touch and pliable.

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Gourmet Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices Recipe (8)

Christina | Food Apparel

I'm Christina and I'm a self-proclaimed foodie and chocoholic! I am a real estate broker by trade. I have a wonderful husband, 3 girls 4 and under (crazy!!!) and a hyper dog. Want to know my quirks? Go here for a little Q&A.

Gourmet Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices Recipe (9)

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Gourmet Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my candied orange slices bitter? ›

Orange peels get their bitterness from several compounds. And those compounds dissolve in hot water, which is why blanching works so well. In fact, blanching reduces bitterness by 50%. Repeat the blanching step until the orange peels taste just slightly bitter.

How to make orange slices? ›

Instructions
  1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 175 degrees. If your oven doesn't go that low, preheat to 200 degrees. ...
  2. Step 2: Thinly slice your oranges. ...
  3. Step 3: Arrange on baking sheet. ...
  4. Step 4: Bake the slices in the oven for about 6 hours, or until completely dry. ...
  5. Step 5: Cool and Store.
Dec 14, 2023

What are candied orange slices made of? ›

Not to mention the delicious candied orange syrup that's leftover at the end which as good or better as the orange slices themselves! All you need to make this impressive homemade confection are sugar, water, and oranges (and a bit of powdered citric acid to preserve the leftover syrup at the end).

How do you get the bitter taste out of orange sauce? ›

Take the seeds out of the orange before you blend it. It's the seeds that cause the bitterness. You can add little bit of salt and keep it in refrigerator for a while…then serve with adding honey and lemon juice..it works well..

How do you make candied orange peels less bitter? ›

You can choose to boil up to 2 more times to remove more bitterness from the peel before candying. With oranges, you can blanche the peels just once or twice if you want to save time, but with more bitter citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, or grapefruit, I recommend repeating the step twice. Make a sugar syrup.

How long to dry orange slices in the oven? ›

What temperature and how long does this take? Set your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 2-4 hours, making sure to flip your oranges every 30 minutes. The best news is that, while this does take a while, these dried oranges slices can last you up to two years when stored in an airtight container!

How do you keep orange slices moist? ›

Store cut oranges in an airtight container.

Cut fruit will deteriorate more quickly, so it's essential to cover cut oranges in plastic wrap or place the fruit in an airtight container. Store in the fridge, and use or eat the fruit within a week.

Do dried orange slices attract bugs? ›

It's important they are completely dehydrated so they don't rot or attract bugs.

What is a chocolate orange called? ›

Chocolate navel orange, also called chocolate orange, is a type of Navel orange, a mutation that was first discovered in 2006 in Valencia, Spain. The name "chocolate orange" is based on the brown color of the peel.

Has chocolate orange recipe changed? ›

He also confirmed there had been no changes to the original recipe. Both the milk chocolate and dark chocolate versions have also remained unchanged in weight since 2016, at 157g.

Why are chocolate oranges so expensive? ›

The cost of raw materials & imported foods, the effect of inflation, falling production and increasing demand all have their part to play.

How to dry candied orange slices faster? ›

Preheat oven to 175 (or lowest setting). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently remove the slices to the cookie sheets, leaving a little space between each slice to help them dry evenly. Bake for 1-2 hours, until dry but still slightly tacky.

How long are candied oranges good for? ›

First, you'll want to let them cool at room temperature until no longer warm to the touch, at least 4 hours, then refrigerate them until thoroughly chilled. The oranges last refrigerated for 1 month as long as they are submerged in that syrup.

What is the difference between candied and glazed fruit? ›

A fruit impregnated with cane sugar and glucose, and subsequently drained and dried, is called a Candied fruit. Candied fruit covered or coated with a thin transparent coating of sugar, which imparts to it a glossy appearance, is called Glazed fruit.

How do you remove the bitterness from orange jam? ›

The final secret in producing a sweet marmalade is to boil the orange peels several times to leach out the bitterness.

How to remove bitterness from orange? ›

heat will draw out most of the bitter tasting. substances from the pith (bitter substances in the. orange pith are water-soluble).

Why does my orange taste bitter? ›

Troublesome compounds called limonin and nomilin can make even the freshest citrus fruit taste bitter. Some kinds of citrus trees thwart these natural chemicals by neatly attaching a sugar (glucose) molecule onto them. This simple maneuver converts limonin and nomilin to nonbitter compounds called limonoid glucosides.

Why is my orange jam bitter? ›

This is because you have not thoroughly researched how to make orange jam is not bitter, do not properly process. Because the orange peel contains oil, taste and bitter if not remove the oil, then the jam after slug will be bitter and difficult to eat.

References

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