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Candied Orange Peel Dipped in Chocolate


My love affair with orange flavoured chocolate goes back as far as I can remember. I think it all started with those orange cream filled chocolates found in the Pot Of Gold boxes that seem to be ubiquitous at Christmas time. From there my addiction it was take up a notch when Terry’s Chocolate Orange came onto the scene, with its interesting interactive tastiness. And then came Godiva… as you can see I have been moving up in the gourmet chocolate world throughout the years. Godiva used to make lovely little pieces of candied orange peel that were lovingly dipped in dark chocolate, yes lovingly… you could taste the love. I become hooked! Hooked to the real deal and I haven’t been able to look back since. The Pot Of Golds and the

Terry’s Oranges don’t appeal to me much any more… I have tasted perfection and I can’t go back. The problem is Godiva doesn’t make them anymore and trying to find them when the craving hits can be difficult.

All this to say that I am pleased to announce that I have, not only found a good recipe but have also, successfully created my own delightful treats that are as good as Godiva!

The recipe wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be… but heed my warning… this recipe takes dedication. I found that I had to let the orange peels air dry on racks for almost two days before they were ready to dip. So if time is against you… this recipe might not be a good idea. Luckily I started on Wednesday night to be ready for Friday afternoon.

Note - I also tossed 2 lemons worth of peel into the mix in an attempt for some variety. I found that they weren’t nearly as delicious as the orange and had a more tough/chewy texture.

5 small oranges makes about 60 pieces. You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe.

Candied Orange Peel

4-5 navel oranges *organic*

3 cups sugar

1 cup water

8 oz (1 1/3 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips for dipping

You can harvest the peel in many ways. Here are two I recommend:

Cut the oranges in half (top to bottom and not the usual horizontal way) and juice them. Cut each half in half again and take a spoon to scrape the pulp out, leaving a clean pith.

Cut peel into 1/4 inch strips. Place peels in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat on high until water comes to a boil. Pour off the water. Repeat twice more. Combine sugar and water in the saucepan and bring to boil over high heat until temperature reaches 230F. Add peel and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until peels are translucent (30 minutes or longer – mine were in for about 45). Remove peels from syrup and set on rack to dry for 2 days.

Once the peel is dry, you can dip in tempered dark chocolate. Melt the chocolate

chips in a double boiler or in 15 second increments in the microwave. Dip pieces either half way or fully – shake off excess and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to dry. They can be put in the fridge at this point to speed up the drying process. Store in a tupperware in the fridge.

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