This Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Peel recipe is the perfect healthy treat. Though they are soaked in sugar syrup and coated in dark chocolate I think you will agree that these are an indulgent way to satisfy a craving.

Chocolate covered orange peels are always a favorite of Manservant’s.

Every year around Passover I buy him these treats, but they seem to be getting harder and harder to find.

He loves anything chocolate and orange flavored and that includes chocolate orange candy bars and those chocolate and orange balls they sell at Christmas.

When I discovered how easy these chocolate orange confections are to make I decided to give it a go.

What a way to win his heart!

With big navel oranges in the grocery store, I decided to give these simple confections a try.

Use large oranges with thick skin for the best candied orange peels.

I, of course, was wanting to make a little something sweet with them, so I decided this chocolate covered orange peel recipe probably wouldn’t be too hard to make.

These are so easy to make as long as you can peel an orange.

Please don’t tell me you can’t peel an orange.

All right. I admit, my mom used to peel them for me. They always seemed to taste better that way.

Chocolate covered orange peels are a delicious treat that combines the refreshing taste of citrus with the rich, creamy goodness of chocolate.

They are easy to make at home and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for later use.

How to Make this Chocolate Covered Orange Peel Recipe:

To make candied orange peel, start by slicing off the top and bottom of a large orange.

Then, use a sharp vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to remove the orange peel in thin strips.

Try to remove only the orange part of the peel, leaving the white pith behind.

The pith is bitter and will affect the taste of the final product.

Once you have removed the peel, cut it into thin slivers or 1/4 inch strips.

Blanch the orange peel in boiling water.

Drain and run under cool running water and do it again.

Next, combine the water and sugar in a medium sized heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.

Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Add the orange peel strips and simmer until the orange peel is translucent and tender and almost no liquid remains.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the strips to a wire rack set over a parchement or wax paper lined, rimmed baking sheet to cool.

Once the strips are cool, roll them in additional sugar and let them dry on a cooling rack.

Now you can eat the candied peels as is, but I prefer to dip peels into chocolate.

Candied orange peel dipped in chocolate not only makes perfect gifts, it looks beautiful on a cookie tray.

I like dark chocolate, but feel free to use milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer.

To make chocolate covered orange peels, start by melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave at 60 second intervals on power level 7, stirring at each interval until chocolate is smooth and shiny.

Dip the candied orange peels into the melted chocolate and place them on a wire rack to set.

If you have excess chocolate on the bottom of the peels, scrape it off with a sharp knife.

Let the chocolate set at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

Tips for making this chocolate covered orange peel recipe:

• Use fresh valencia or navel oranges for the best results.
• Use organic oranges if possible to avoid any pesticides or chemicals.
• Use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to remove the orange peel in thin strips.
• Try to remove only the orange part of the peel, leaving the white pith behind.
• Simmer the orange peel strips in a sugar syrup until they are translucent and tender.
• Use a wire rack placed on a sheet pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper to cool and dry the candied orange peels.
• Use a double boiler or microwave to melt the chocolate.
• Dip the candied orange peels into the melted chocolate and place them on a wire rack to set.
• Scrape off any excess chocolate on the bottom of the peels with a sharp knife.
• Store the chocolate covered orange peels in an airtight container at room temperature for later use.

Chocolate covered orange peels are a delicious treat that are easy to make.

I am not a big user of citrus and have never ever liked orange marmalade or lemon meringue pie.

Lemon in sweet food never really did it for me, nor did orange, and after being on the grapefruit diet in high school; well, I never really liked grapefruit much after that.

However, I will imbibe a Salty Dog now and then, but only if the conditions are right.

One thing I do love though, is freshly squeezed orange juice.

Winter often found us in Phoenix visiting my parents and way back when, one was able to find orange groves with juice stands just standing by the side of the road.

My dad would pick up gallons of juice for us to drink and that was always so special.

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen an orange grove in Phoenix.

I guess the orange groves have now become shopping malls and I do miss them.

Blossoming orange trees are just the best perfume.

So what to do with the fruit inside the orange?

Either eat those orange slices or make juice!

The year’s end is suddenly upon us and it has hit me with a vengeance; a good kind of vengeance though.

The kind that says it is good to be begin again.

Though we haven’t had Alex’s company, we have had the pleasure of Zoe’s, and I certainly hope she wants to do it again.

We’ve crammed in massages and movies and museums.

She’s skied and I’ve cooked and the refrigerator is more full than I remember it in the last year.

We’ve celebrated Hanukkah, eaten banh mi’s, chili mac and steak, and last night we had a full fledged Thanksgiving, even though the table wasn’t decorated with pumpkins and gourds.

We still have New Year’s to go, but she will be with friends, so it looks like I’ll be cooking for just my friends.

I do expect though that she and the boyfriend will probably be coming back in time for dessert and whatever else might be around to stuff into their mouth’s!

It’s been a grand visit and it isn’t even close to being over.

Today she is with her dad helping him choose new eyeglass frames and I thank her for that!

But back to these dark chocolate covered candied orange peels.

Manservant apparently caught Zoe diving into his stash.

He deftly hid them up high in the pantry in a nice cool spot, where she can’t reach.

Never knew chocolate covered orange peels had such an effect.

So whether you make these for gifts or gifts for yourself, maybe you should hide them, unless of course you like to share!