First you can eat these *as candy* or use them in recipes. We did both. These taste amazingly like orange slices. I wish my great grandpa was still around so I could make these for him.
I made them two ways...
first batch I sliced the peels thin a bit bigger than match-size and simmered them first in water then water, honey and spices. The second batch I skipped the first simmer. Both came out great.
No clue how many orange peels I did... Thinking at least 8-10 per batch... covered the bottom of my 8" saucepan and up about 2-3". I was cutting up a BUNCH we had saved in the fridge for about 2 weeks.... some went to dehydrate for tea and such and the nicer ones I sliced to candy.
OK put them in the saucepan... add a cup to 1 1/2c water. You are not covering them, just making sure they will not scorch and as you stir and they soften 90% should be in the syrup most of the time. I used 1c water, 1c honey, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1/2t ground ginger... simmer until slightly translucent, they are soft, and much of the syrup is absorbed.
Remove from syrup and drain.... I just used a slotted spoon on batch #2.
put in a bowl and toss lightly with sugar or dry ground flaked coconut (run through food processor) or a blend.... I used sugar on batch #1, tried coconut on batch #2 and ended up adding a bit of sugar. How much sugar.... to taste. I used about 1/2c... I think closer to 2/3 when it was sugar alone.
Lay out on racks to dry.
My guys preferred it just dried on racks to soft gummy worm texture...
I also did a batch on the dehydrator and that is what I am using for baking. Though shh.... I nibbled several yesterday.
These were so easy!
Yes, they are candy so don't eat a handful... but I love using the orange rinds (use any citrus!) because we are eating BAGS of oranges.... and doing them mostly with raw honey (not raw once made into candy, but still...)... and they were SO good in the scones we are selling at market.
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Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip.... SCONES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 cup yogurt
½ teaspoon almond extract
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add dried fruit and chocolate and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in yogurt and almond extract with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 16 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine. As in, I understand why they suggested the first method.)
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
yield 16 wedges or 16 rounds
*********************
Cranberry Orange Ginger Spice Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups olive oil
2 eggs
½ cup molasses
4 cups soft white whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/3 cup chopped candied orange pieces
Yield – approximately 70 cookies
I made them two ways...
first batch I sliced the peels thin a bit bigger than match-size and simmered them first in water then water, honey and spices. The second batch I skipped the first simmer. Both came out great.
No clue how many orange peels I did... Thinking at least 8-10 per batch... covered the bottom of my 8" saucepan and up about 2-3". I was cutting up a BUNCH we had saved in the fridge for about 2 weeks.... some went to dehydrate for tea and such and the nicer ones I sliced to candy.
OK put them in the saucepan... add a cup to 1 1/2c water. You are not covering them, just making sure they will not scorch and as you stir and they soften 90% should be in the syrup most of the time. I used 1c water, 1c honey, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1/2t ground ginger... simmer until slightly translucent, they are soft, and much of the syrup is absorbed.
Remove from syrup and drain.... I just used a slotted spoon on batch #2.
put in a bowl and toss lightly with sugar or dry ground flaked coconut (run through food processor) or a blend.... I used sugar on batch #1, tried coconut on batch #2 and ended up adding a bit of sugar. How much sugar.... to taste. I used about 1/2c... I think closer to 2/3 when it was sugar alone.
Lay out on racks to dry.
My guys preferred it just dried on racks to soft gummy worm texture...
I also did a batch on the dehydrator and that is what I am using for baking. Though shh.... I nibbled several yesterday.
These were so easy!
Yes, they are candy so don't eat a handful... but I love using the orange rinds (use any citrus!) because we are eating BAGS of oranges.... and doing them mostly with raw honey (not raw once made into candy, but still...)... and they were SO good in the scones we are selling at market.
******************
Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip.... SCONES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 cup yogurt
½ teaspoon almond extract
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add dried fruit and chocolate and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in yogurt and almond extract with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 16 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine. As in, I understand why they suggested the first method.)
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
yield 16 wedges or 16 rounds
*********************
Cranberry Orange Ginger Spice Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups olive oil
2 eggs
½ cup molasses
4 cups soft white whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/3 cup chopped candied orange pieces
Yield – approximately 70 cookies
