For years, I tirelessly attempted to create the perfect dried oranges. Unfortunately, my efforts were in vain. Most of the time, I would unintentionally burn them, filling the house with a delightful aroma, but leaving my poor oranges looking brown and melancholic. Occasionally, it seemed as though I hadn't baked them long enough, resulting in a mushy texture that, as you may know, is not the desired outcome we are aiming for.
During my research, I kept coming across a method. Let's call it the paper towel method, for lack of a better term. This year, I tried it, and look at these beauties! Just look at them!
Without further ado, as we all have so much going on during this holiday season, here's what I did that finally brought me some success with these classic holiday decorations!
Make sure your oranges are hard. Not the lovely soft ones you want to rush home to eat. Hard hard.
Slice them thin! As thin as you possibly can. I need to mention here my favorite set of knives if you're in the market for them. These handled this and all my cooking challenges like the champ! *affiliate link
The paper towel method: Once your oranges are cut, place one thick layer of paper towels on a cookie sheet. Then arrange the oranges in a single layer. Finally, place another double or triple layer of paper towels on top of the oranges with a cookie sheet on top to press the oranges into the paper towels. Essentially, you're making an orange sandwich with a layer of oranges between two layers of cookie sheets.
Let it sit for a day, approximately 24 hours. I was a bit paranoid that they would dry out and the paper towel would stick to them, but that didn't happen. Nonetheless, check your oranges every 8-10 hours and, if necessary, change the layers of paper towel.
After 24 hours, remove the papertowels and place orange slices directly on a baking sheet, making sure there is enough space around each slice, 1-2" atleast. Bake them slow and low at 200 degrees.
Flip them every 30 minutes until they are dry. They won't all be dry at the same time. You'll notice the smaller and thinner slices cook faster. I did 4-5 different rotations, you're looking at 3-5 hours depending on how thin your slices are.
How do I know when they're done? I do the drop test. If you're unsure if a slice has reached its ideal dryness, it should make an audible "tap" sound when you drop it from 12" onto the countertop. If the slice makes no sound and is soft to the touch, it's not done drying.
Once adequately dried in the oven, place your slices on a wire drying rack on your counter and let them dry for an additional day. This method will ensure that they retain as much of that bright orange color as possible!
Enjoy! Hang them from a tree or on a garland. After the holiday season, I will be using them as decorations for a window swag, allowing the beautiful winter light to shine through the deep orange and illuminate my kitchen.
So if I understand correctly, the whole oranges need to be hard, as in tough & old? Does’nt that mean that the oranges need to sit out for 30 days or so, to get hard?