Snack Attack: The Best (Sugar Glazed) Candied Blood Oranges

It’s finally blood orange season, which you may have caught me blabbering about on Instagram recently.

And next month is Valentine’s Day, so I whipped up these candied blood orange treats to get a head start on the February sweets. I also made some with kara kara oranges (the ones that are pink in the inside). So…yum!

To make these candies citrus treats even more unusual, I dipped them in a glaze (the same one that I used for these donuts) and sprinkled them with colorful sugar sprinkles. Just for fun.

Here’s how to make your own…

Ingredients:

• 2 blood oranges and 1 kara kara orange
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of confectioner sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of half and half or cream
• water

Instructions:

1. Start by thoroughly washing each orange, then slicing up the oranges into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Discard the end slices of each orange.

2. Next, blanch the orange slices in a medium or large skillet, by adding the slices into a pan full of water and bring it to a boil for 3 minutes. Then, drain the oranges and repeat this process one more time, before putting the orange slices into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Blanching the oranges this way will remove some of the bitterness.

3. Next, pour out any excess water from the pan. Then, on medium heat, add one cup of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved, stop stirring. Add oranges slices once it begin to bubble.

4. Leave the oranges to simmer for 45-60 minutes. You know they’re done when the edges are slightly translucent. 

5. Remove the orange slices from the pot and place on a cooling rack for 4 hours.

6. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a small bowl. Dip orange slices into the sugar. Then set aside.

***You can stop there, if you don’t want to add the glaze and you’ll have a perfectly respectable candied orange. But if you’re a fan of sweets to the degree that I am, you’re going to want to continue on to steps 7-9.

7. Next, mix powdered sugar and cream in a bowl and whisk until a smooth glaze is created.

8. Dip each orange slice into the glaze. Then place on a cooling rack.

9. Add sprinkles over top the glaze and let the glaze harden for several hours. Enjoy!

The process is not exactly a quick one, BUT it is really easy, which makes up for it. And the oranges taste delicious.

Concept, photography, and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff // Assisted by Linda Jednaszewski

Have you ever made candied oranges before? Curious to know if you’ll give these blood orange ones a try.