Chocolate dipped Orange slices

VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, NUT-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE

Oven-dried Orange slices dipped in decadent chocolate. They require only 3 ingredients and they’re incredibly delicious. You will not be able to stop with eating just one; GUARANTEED!

At the offset, don’t be dissuaded thinking this will be a very difficult treat to make; we were skeptical too…. Honestly, this is one of the easiest things to make. The drying out process takes its own sweet time in the oven and there really is no ‘baby-sitting’. The dried oranges can be enjoyed as is. Dipping them in chocolate is just another layer of divinity 😇.

So how did we land up experimenting this sweet offering? We always buy a huge bag of Cuties oranges because I am so tempted by their gorgeous looks 🤩. We religiously eat them for 3 days and then forget about them. The ‘cuties’ were drying out in our fruit rack. They looked perfectly fine but hard on the exterior. Why throw out a perfectly good fruit?

In our home we enjoy orange based desserts a lot. Orange with chocolate is a very appetizing combination. Orange slices and orange skin dipped in chocolate are an expensive treat since they are made by hand. Why not do it at home in small batches and enjoy them with no guilt??!! (Ironically this treat works very well with half-dried oranges. Fresh ones will probably take an extra hour or two to dry-out!) 

Start of by slicing the orange. Depending on size, you’ll get a different number of slices; I got 4-5 slices per orange. Next, we need to infuse some sweetness into these oranges. Since we are going to completely dry the oranges, their tartness increases, so they need some sweetness. Drizzle maple syrup on both sides and set it in a single layer on parchment paper. Sprinkle some paprika to give a smoky flavor and some coarse sea salt. Pop these trays into an oven and let it completely dry out – it could take 2-4 hours again depending on how juicy the oranges are. That’s it! The orange slices are actually ready to eat on their own. 

To make these treats more decadent, we dip them in dark chocolate. Use any chocolate of choice; we feel the combination of orange with dark chocolate is heavenly. 

I made 2 types of chocolate for the dipping. The first was just melted dark chocolate chips. This one gave it a firm and dry coating. Just perfect 👌.

The second type was using pure cacao powder and maple syrup. This one gave a soft coating, dry but soft. Maybe the addition of maple syrup gave it that texture. 

Nevertheless we thoroughly enjoyed both varieties. I did store them in the fridge since I was not completely convinced they were dry enough to stay at room temperature. These treats are chewy in texture. You get pops of salty, spicy, tangy and sweet in every bite. YUMMY!