This is not a recipe. It’s two ingredients and three steps, so simple I feel kind of silly writing them out in recipe form. Melt chocolate. Peel oranges. Dip the oranges in the chocolate. You’re done. And yet, despite how ridiculously easy this is to do, these Chocolate-Dipped Mandarin Oranges have a real wow factor.
First, they’re beautiful, with the glistening, brilliant orange flesh of the mandarins glowing against the satiny darkness of the chocolate.
Then there’s what happens when you pop one in your mouth. The orange explodes into sweet-tart juice. The chocolate follows, thick and smooth. The contrast of textures and sweet-and-sour flavors is mouth-watering and taste-bud-tingling.
I say this every time I make a recipe that features chocolate in a starring role: use the best chocolate you can find. I buy from a local candy company that sells bars of the same chocolate they use for their candies. If you don’t have access to something like that, seek out a good brand such as Callebaut, often found near the deli section in better grocery stores.
For the best contrast with the flavor of the oranges, use dark chocolate (either semi-sweet or bittersweet), not milk chocolate. And make sure to use mandarin oranges, not the similar-looking clementines, which have lots of tiny seeds.
Making these ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Make these Chocolate-Dipped Mandarin Oranges at least one hour before serving so the chocolate has time to set – but not more than 4 hours ahead so the oranges don’t dry out. Keep them at room temperature.
- Don’t count on leftovers – these little oranges are light enough that you should have no problem polishing off one orange per person even after a nice dinner. If for some reason you’ve made too many, go ahead and store leftovers in the refrigerator. Ideally bring them back to room temperature before serving.
To see this dessert combined with other dishes in a special autumn menu, see my post for Saturday November 7, 2020.
Chocolate-Dipped Mandarin Oranges
Multiply this recipe to serve as many people as you like, using one mandarin orange and one ounce of chocolate per person. Melting a larger quantity of chocolate will take longer in the microwave. Add as many one-minute intervals as needed, stirring in between.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 2 fresh mandarin oranges
Directions
- Step 1 Chop the chocolate and place it in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat. After the second minute, keep stirring until all the chocolate is melted. If any stubborn chunks refuse to melt, microwave for a few more seconds and then stir until the chocolate is completely smooth.
- Step 2 Peel the oranges and separate the segments. Carefully remove any strings and pieces of pith clinging to the orange segments.
- Step 3 Dip each orange segment into the melted chocolate, coating the orange segment halfway. Transfer the orange segment to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat with all the remaining orange segments and chocolate.
- Step 4 Let the chocolate-coated orange segments sit until the chocolate is just set, about 1 hour at room temperature. Serve at room temperature.
