Dark Chocolate and Maple Candied Blood Oranges
Valentine’s day is just around the corner, folks.
A lot of people hate on Val Day, but I think it’s actually a pretty sweet holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I most def don’t like the needless consumerism that often goes along with Valentine’s. BUT you don’t need to fund the Hallmarks or unsustainable chocolate companies of the world to show the people around you some love. Whether it’s your boo, your grandma, your roommates or yourself, these candied blood oranges are the perfect way to share the love without giving in to the consumerism of the day.
With this recipe, I wanted to put a spin on Taste of Home’s classic candied orange recipe by removing all refined sugar from the equation. Maple syrup is the perfect sub for cane sugar and it adds an amazing depth of flavor. The dark chocolate dip and flaky sea salt add the perfect finishing touch to these beauts.
Let me know what you think of the recipe and don’t forget to follow the sustainability tips below!
Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus 24 hours drying time
Makes: about 24 chocolate dipped candied orange slices
Ingredients
4 cups water
2 cups pure maple syrup
2 large blood oranges
3 ounces dark chocolate (I used 73% cacao)
Flaky sea salt to taste
Steps
(Adapted from Taste of Home)
In a wide, medium to large pot over medium-high heat, whisk together the water and syrup and bring to a boil. While the syrup mixture is heating, cut the blood oranges into slices about 1/8 inch thick.
Once the mixture is boiling, add 1/2 the orange slices to the pot. The slices should only minimally overlap. Boil uncovered for about 30-40 minutes or until the edges of the slices are translucent, using a fork or small set of tongs to rotate slices every 10 minutes. Once translucent, carefully remove slices from the liquid using a slotted spoon, forks or tongs and transfer to a lightly oiled cooling rack. Add another cup of water to the liquid mixture, place the other half of the oranges into the pot and repeat boiling and transferring. Let the oranges sit on the cooling rack at room temperature for 24 hours to dry out.
Once the oranges have dried and are minimally sticky, melt the dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Dip orange slices in melted chocolate and transfer to a sheet of compostable parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt, just a pinch for each slice. Let set in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before noshing. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Sustainability Tips
Maple syrup: Go for local syrup! This will decrease GHGs from travel and maybe even help you get to know your local syrup producers. Read all about it in my liquid sweeteners post!
Blood oranges: Only make this during citrus season (winter) and buy oranges that were grown as locally as possible to avoid excess emissions. If you live in the northern U.S., "as local as possible" might just mean within the country. If you live in the southern or western states, you should be able to grab some oranges from your backyard or from your neighborhood farmer. Either way, make sure your oranges are organic. This will keep nasty pesticides out of our land and water.
Dark chocolate: Buying fair trade chocolate is the most sustainable option here. The little fair trade logo means that workers and the environment were treated well in the making of your chocolate.