Description
Chocolate orange sticks blend rich dark chocolate with zesty citrus for a luxurious homemade treat. Crisp candied orange peel dipped in smooth chocolate creates an irresistible confection you’ll want to share with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp (15 mL / 0.5 fl oz) coconut oil or shortening (optional coating helper)
- 1 cup (170 g / 6 oz) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups (360 mL / 12 fl oz) water
- 1 ½ cups (360 g / 12.7 oz) granulated sugar
- 3 large oranges
Instructions
- Peel Preparation: Extract orange peels with precision, meticulously removing white membrane to ensure a clean, pure citrus base.
- Blanching Process: Submerge orange strips in rapidly boiling water multiple times to neutralize bitterness and prepare for candying, draining thoroughly between each immersion.
- Syrup Transformation: Construct a luminous sugar syrup in a saucepan, gently simmering orange strips until they become translucent and absorb sweet essence, creating candied delicacies.
- Drying Stage: Arrange orange strips on a wire rack, allowing natural air circulation to dehydrate the candied peels completely, which typically requires several hours of patient resting.
- Chocolate Coating: Melt high-quality chocolate chips with a touch of coconut oil in a microwave, stirring intermittently to achieve a smooth, glossy consistency perfect for dipping.
- Dipping Technique: Immerse each candied orange strip halfway into the molten chocolate, ensuring an elegant coating that showcases the vibrant citrus interior and creates a visually appealing confection.
- Setting and Storage: Place chocolate-coated strips on parchment paper, allowing them to set at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then transfer to an airtight container to preserve their delicate texture and intense flavor profile.
Notes
- Peel Precision: Remove all white pith thoroughly to prevent bitter undertones and ensure a clean, pure citrus flavor in your chocolate orange sticks.
- Blanching Technique: Repeat boiling water process 3 times to dramatically reduce orange peel bitterness and create a softer, more refined candied texture.
- Chocolate Tempering Hack: Add a small amount of coconut oil to chocolate for smoother melting, glossier finish, and prevent chocolate from becoming grainy or chalky.
- Storage Strategy: Keep chocolate orange sticks in cool, dry environment to maintain crisp texture and prevent chocolate from melting or developing condensation.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg