Surprise your Valentine with homemade candied orange peel dipped in dark chocolate.

As a thrifty Yankee I find it difficult to throw away perfectly good food. Leftover spinach salad gets added to frittatas, dried up cheese ends flavor soup, and even citrus wrappings are turned into sweet candied orange peel.

Never had candied orange peel? Then you are in for a treat. It is strangely addictive. A little sweet, a little tangy, a little bitter, it’s hard to eat just one. And when dipped in dark chocolate candied orange peels are an unusual and divine treat.

I make candied orange peels every year for Christmas, but they are also a great present for your Valentine. If you are tired of everyday Valentine chocolates, and don’t really want to have a tempting chocolate cake sitting on the table staring at you, try making chocolate dipped candied orange peels.

What Kind of Oranges Do I Use?

When making candied orange peels for a sweet dessert treat, use thick skinned navel oranges. Many recipes tell you to remove the white part inside the skin, but we want to keep it for this purpose. It adds a satisfying chewiness to the end product.

NOTE: If you are making candied orange peel for fruitcake or other baking applications, either remove the white part of the skin or use thin skinned juice oranges.

Is This a Difficult Recipe?

Although making chocolate covered candied orange peel takes a bit of time – most of that time is just sitting. Otherwise, this is one of the easiest recipes you can make; with fantastic old-fashioned results.

Ingredients

• 2 large navel oranges
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• additional granulated sugar
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate morsels
• 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

Instructions

1. Wash two large navel oranges and cut into quarters.
2. Pull the flesh away from the peel.
3. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4 inch wide.
4. Place sliced peel in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drain. Repeat this step 2 more times.
5. Set peel aside.
6. Combine sugar and water in the saucepan.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until soft thread stage (232 degrees).
8. Add the drained peel to the saucepan and continue simmering gently. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the peels have a translucent quality. Don’t stir while cooking as this could cause the formation of large sugar crystals.
9. Drain the peels, roll in additional granulated sugar and let dry overnight on a rack.
10. The next day, melt the chocolate morsels and baking chocolate in a double boiler, or carefully melt in the microwave. Set the microwave to 50% power, and the timer to 10 seconds at a time. Remove and stir after each 10 seconds, until the chocolate has melted.
11. Holding one end of each candied peel, dip it in the chocolate. Place on parchment or waxed paper until chocolate has cooled and fully set.
12. Store the candied peel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.

Tips and Hints

Leftover chocolate can be saved in the freezer until you make your next batch of candied peel!

There, now you have WOWed your Valentine, you haven’t over-indulged, and there are probably a few extras in the refrigerator to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea!

See my original Candied Citrus Peel post here.