Candied Orange Hot Chocolate (Printable)

Decadent dark chocolate infused with bright candied orange and sea salt for an elegant treat.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Candied Orange Peel

01 - 2 large oranges
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 cup water

→ Chocolate Coating

04 - 8 oz high-quality dark chocolate, chopped (minimum 60% cocoa)
05 - 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

→ Assembly

06 - 10 wooden sticks or lollipop sticks
07 - Extra sugar for rolling

# Directions:

01 - Wash oranges thoroughly. Score lengthwise into quarters and carefully remove peel including white pith. Cut peel into thin strips approximately 1/4 inch wide. Place peels in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to boil, then drain. Repeat blanching process twice to reduce bitterness. In the same saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add orange peels and simmer on low heat for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender. Remove peels with fork and cool on parchment-lined tray. Optionally toss in extra sugar to coat.
02 - Place chopped chocolate in heatproof bowl. Set over pan of gently simmering water using double boiler method, or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between intervals until smooth. Allow to cool slightly while maintaining pourable consistency.
03 - Thread 2-3 pieces of candied orange peel onto each wooden stick. Dip lower half of each stick with orange peel into melted chocolate, swirling to coat thoroughly. Lay sticks on parchment-lined tray. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt if desired.
04 - Allow stirrers to set at room temperature or refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until firm. Wrap each stirrer in cellophane and tie with ribbon for gifting.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They taste restaurant quality but come together in your kitchen, which honestly never stops feeling like a small magic trick.
  • Candied orange peel is tangy and chewy in a way that cuts through rich hot chocolate perfectly, making each sip more interesting.
  • Once you make the candied peel, assembly feels more like play than cooking, and friends always seem genuinely moved when you hand them one wrapped in cellophane.
02 -
  • Don't skip the blanching step thinking you can just simmer the peels straight in syrup, because I tried this once and the bitterness was so overwhelming that even the chocolate couldn't save them.
  • The moment you see the peels become translucent is when you stop cooking, not when you think you should, because they keep softening slightly as they cool and over-cooking makes them fall apart and lose their elegant appearance.
  • Temperature is your friend with the chocolate: if it gets too hot it separates and breaks, but if it's too cool it sets before you can coat properly, so that just-warm-enough pourable state is everything.
03 -
  • Invest in a good thermometer for chocolate if you're serious about these, because eyeballing pourable temperature is harder than it sounds and a thermometer removes the guesswork.
  • If your wooden sticks are rough or splintery, quickly sand them smooth with fine sandpaper before use, because no one wants a splinter with their hot chocolate.
  • Make a double batch of candied peel because once people taste these, they'll want more, and having extra in your pantry means you can assemble stirrers whenever the mood strikes or someone needs a last minute gift.
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