Candied Blood Orange Slices with Dark Chocolate
Homemade candied blood orange slices dipped in dark chocolate! These delicious, deceptively easy candies make the perfect homemade gift for the holidays.
I have a very, very important question to ask all of you. Depending on what your answer is, we can still be friends, ok?
Here we go..how do you feel about orange and chocolate…together? I ask this, because it is quite possibly my favorite chocolate pairing in the whole wide world. Case in point, these chewy cookies. More so than raspberry, caramel, or any other ingredient that instantly comes to mind when you think of chocolate.
But as infatuated as I’ve been with anything chocolate orange (first it was Terry’s milk chocolate orange balls growing up, and now I’m slightly more spoiled) over the past 27 years of my life, I’ve also come to realize that it is a love-hate thing.
As in, I know or have met many people that totally don’t get it, and well..sort of despise it? WHYYYY?!
Well, I’ve decided to hell with that. I am officially on a mission to force everyone to love it as much as I do, so today we’re making candied blood orange slices dipped in silky, bittersweet chocolate!
Chocolate covered candied orange slices are very traditional, but I decided to mix things up by using blood oranges instead–and let’s just say, I loved them. The color was unbeatable, and the blood oranges offer a wonderful tartness that can’t compete with navel oranges.
Thankfully, blood oranges have finally arrived and are available in most supermarkets right now. Trader Joe’s, and even my basic grocery store are carrying them in little bags at the moment. They are worth seeking out!
These seriously might be one of my most favorite recipes/desserts/candies that I’ve shared on the blog, well, ever! Although these candies require a bit of planning (they need to simmer in the candying liquid for an hour, and need to dry for a minimum of 24 hours), they are very simple to make, unlike other candied fruit.
They would make a wonderful hosting gift, are perfect for snacking, and could even make a great belated Valentine’s Day candy!
If you’re a fan of the sweet, salty combination, you can even add a nice sprinkle of Maldon sea salt for good measure! At the end of the day, I actually preferred these without salt, but it is totally up to you and they taste great either way.
Oh, and fun little blood orange fact? The beautiful, maroon color of blood oranges develops when the the fruit ripens at low temperatures at night time.
Candied Blood Orange Slices with Dark Chocolate
Homemade candied blood orange slices dipped in dark chocolate! These delicious, deceptively easy candies make the perfect homemade gift for the holidays.
Ingredients
Candied Blood Orange Slices:
- 2 blood oranges, scrubbed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Assembly:
- 4.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly*
- Malden sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Trim the ends of the blood oranges, then slice them into 1/4″ thick slices. Carefully remove and discard any seeds.
- Combine the sugar, water, and light corn syrup in a very wide, deep skillet and bring to a boil, whisking continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Add the orange slices to the pan in one single layer, and bring to a low simmer. Simmer the slices in the poaching liquid for 1 hour, uncovered, or until the slices have become nearly transparent (the poaching liquid will turn a deep pink color). Meanwhile, set aside a large baking sheet lined with a cooling rack.
- Once the slices are transparent, transfer them carefully with tongs from the poaching liquid, allowing any excess syrup to drip back into the pan, and place onto the cooling rack, laying them out flat to dry.
- Allow the candied orange slices to dry, uncovered, for a minimum of 24 hours, or until they are mostly dry, and minimally tacky.
Assembly:
- Set aside a platter or small baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the chocolate into large chunks and place in a heatproof bowl. Microwave at 25-30 second intervals (stir with a spatula after each interval) until the chocolate has completely melted, and is shiny and smooth.
- Using your hands, dip the dry, candied blood oranges slices halfway into the chocolate, ensuring they are evenly coated on each side. Set aside onto the parchment, then sprinkle with Maldon sea salt (if using). Once all of the blood orange slices have been coated, transfer to the refrigerator and allow the chocolate to set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
I love to use 72% bittersweet chocolate from Trader Joe’s, as it is cheap and tastes great! Feel free to substitute with semisweet chocolate; however, I loved the contrast of the bitter chocolate paired with the sweet candied fruit. Candied oranges can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Inspired by Martha Stewart.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 138 Total Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 55mg Carbohydrates: 21g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 17g Protein: 2g
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I guess it’s blood orange day for us!! 🙂
Love how pretty these are!
Beautiful! I kind of love the chocolate and orange combo, too. Anything this pretty has to be delicious, right?
What a fantastic, not to mention gorgeous, idea! This is going to be the perfect sweet treat for my mountain getaway this weekend with my hubby.
“Yes!!” on the combo of orange and chocolate, especially with dark chocolate and sea salt! There is this amazing chocolate bar you have to try – it is the Vosges Blood Orange and Caramel Bar. It also contains Campari. It will set you free. I could easily eat two in a row. 🙂 I was planning on making a citrus salad with my blood oranges, but I just might make a detour and do this. YUM!
These are so beautiful and I’m sure would make a wonderful gift!
I love candied citrus. Even better with that chocolate dunk – YUM!
These were so tasty – I’m glad we got to try them!
I’ve been on a citrus kick and can’t wait to try these beauties out! Looks so good!
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Oh my these are sooo beautiful. I love chocolate and orange together but only with certain things, it defo isn’t my fave combo but I can totally love these oranges!
OK, now I know what I’m doing with those last two blood oranges in my fridge. I love chocolate and orange, and these look great. Thank you so much for this recipe. By the way, have you ever done it with regular oranges? Seems like that would work too, for when blood oranges are out of season.
These are absolutely gorgeous!! I have to snag some blood oranges before the (lamentably short) season passes me by! And chocolate + orange is seriously delicious…it’s one of my boyfriend’s favorites as well. I had to go to 6 different stores at Christmas to find some of those candy chocolate oranges for him. I’ll have to make these for him!
So delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
I just spent a good half hour pinning all your photos – they are gorgeous! I’m so glad I found your blog, because I can’t wait to see what you make next. I also recently made candied blog orange slices, and I love your addition of the chocolate. Can’t wait to try this out.
I’d only ever had bad quality chocolate + fake orange together and hated it…but recently I had the GOOD STUFF and now I’m obsessed. These candied blood orange slices are out of this world. Really…pretty infatuated with them!
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I’m totally with you. I too LOVE the orange/chocolate combo. I recently met quite a few people who hate it and I just don’t GET IT. The vibrant blood orange color makes these candied chocolate covered slices look so decadent. Love love love!
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I just saw these on facebook and I couldn’t stop staring! How gorgeous are these blood oranges! And dipping them in chocolate is just genius! Pinned! <3
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I just stumbled across your blog post on pinterest! I have a case of blood oranges in my fridge right now! I’m making the candied slices as I type this. Thanks so much for sharing! Is it just me or does anyone else get the urge to make a cocktail with the poaching liquid?!
Thank you so much! And oh my gosh – that sounds fantastic! I would just maybe taste it to make sure it isn’t too bitter from the rinds? But either way, I think you could definitely repurpose it! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic idea! And please let me know how they turn out 🙂
They turned out beautifully so far! I’m dipping them in chocolate later today to take to a food swap. The liquid has a very slight bitterness but it isn’t off putting at all. I mixed it with some club soda and a bit of spiced rum. Since the spiced rum I have is very vanilla forward it was superb!
Oh AWESOME!! Thank you so much for sharing! <3
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A suggestion for the left over liquid. Use it as a simple syrup substitute for a blood orange margarita or other drink.
Hi! beautiful photos and blog, do you think the candying process would work with a sugar substitute? x
Hey Nola! Do you mean maple syrup, agave, or honey? Or an artificial sugar sweetener? I don’t recommend the latter – but it probably is possible to use a natural sugar substitute. I haven’t done it before, so it’s hard to say – as the ratio would probably change. I found this post, which might help? But I haven’t tested it this way, so it’s hard to say – I wish I could be more helpful. http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/candied-orange-peel/
Omg thank you so much for your reply, I’ll give that website a go! xx
I’m going to make these today to have on my Christmas cheese board. Orange is my favorite chocolate addition, so I know I’ll love these. I even drink orange juice alongside chocolate instead of milk.
Wonderful!