Dried Oranges

One of my favorite snacks are Trader Joe’s dried oranges. I moved about a year ago and my local Joe doesn’t carry them. Insert — Read as I’ll make my own.

Dried oranges are so so so easy to make, but they do require a fair bit of drying time. When choosing oranges, try to go for ones with thin and tight skin. They’ll slice easier. I tried to make some with my beloved satsumas, but it didn’t work quite so well. Satsumas are so easy to peel that when you slice them, the peel separated from the flesh.

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs of oranges
1/4 c white sugar

Directions:
Put foil on a 2 baking sheets and thinly coat the foil with olive oil. Heat the oven to 200. Slice off one end (you want to keep the other end on the orange so you have something to hold onto the orange while slicing) of an orange and discard. Cut the orange into 1/8” slices. Discard the remaining end.

Put the slices in a single layer and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 2.5 hours. You want the flesh to have a little bite and the peel should not be crispy. Err on the side of underdone — if you bake too long, the peel will be too hard to eat. The oranges will continue to dry a little after they’re removed from the oven.

Notes:
If you’re giving the oranges to someone or putting them on a platter for a party nibble, use a variety of oranges. This will add visual interest to your plate.

You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. 1/4 c still has a little tang, but most of the bitterness from the white part of the orange is gone. I tried to make them with no added sugar and I didn’t care for it.

Some recipes for dried oranges say to use a mandoline. I found a really sharp knife was easier to use.