Candied Orange Peel & Chocolate Orange Biscotti

My dear friends, I am so sorry I missed my Small and Wonderful Things yesterday! But I have a good excuse, as we were out celebrating the birthday of Stephen, my oldest small-and-wonderful-thing. His birthday is actually tomorrow, but we decided on the spur of the moment to celebrate it while The Geologist was home this weekend. There was much fun, many shenanigans, and a new addition to our family. More on all of that tomorrow! I'll do an abbreviated S&WT with this recipe. Hope you've had a wonderful weekend!

The way Joe always runs to put his hand out when it "rains on the vegetables"

Cinnamon

Source: raspberrytart

Anniversary flowers!

Swings

Source: tinywhitedaisies

Snails (and little mushrooms. And snails on little mushrooms!!)

Source: qalbiqalbi

Sunny Sundays with my famberly

Candied Orange Peel
Printable Recipe

3 large thick-skinned oranges (I've used navel, cara-cara, and valencias)
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar

First, peel your oranges. I like to slice off the top and bottom, then score the sides, and peel them off. Cut each piece of peel into strips.

Place orange peel in a large pot and cover with a few inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, lower a bit, and let boil for 30 minutes. Drain the water, rinse the peels (I just put more cold water in the pot, swished it around, and drained again) and fill with a few more inches of water. Boil for 30 minutes again. If you like just a smidge of the bitter taste of orange (like me), stop here. If not, drain, rinse, refill, and boil for 30 minutes one more time.

In a medium pot/saucepan, stir together the sugar and water as you bring it to a boil. Let boil for 8-9 minutes. Add the drained orange peels and lower to medium-low (it should still be simmering and bubbling). Swirl the pot a bit to make sure the peels are coated. Let simmer for 35-40 minutes, checking often. The syrup should keep bubbling. NEVER stir this!!!! If you are concerned about the peels at the top, swirl the pot gently again, but do NOT stir! After 35-40 minutes, remove from heat, lift pieces of peel out of the syrup with a fork (or tongs) and lay each strip on a wire rack over some wax/parchment paper to set. After a few minutes of cooling, you can sprinkle/toss them with sugar to make them all pretty.

* I made this three different times so I could bring you a recipe that really works!! I was going to toss these in sugar but was exhausted and forget. They're still bright, and orange-y and chewy and sweet and delicious! If you want them softer, go with 30-35 minutes cooking time, 40 if you'd like them stiffer. Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Biscotti
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup roughly chopped candied orange peel (bought or homemade)
1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a medium bowl whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

In a large bowl/mixer beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well combined. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients till you have a smooth, stiff dough. Mix in chocolate chips and orange peel.

Divide the dough in half, and on your lined baking sheet form and flatten each half into a long rectangle, about 9x3 inches. Bake for 25 minutes, or until slightly firm. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
With a large, sharp knife, cut each rectangle into slices. Turn each slice on its side. Bake for 15-18 more minutes, until stiff. Let cool.

If you really want to go crazy, melt some more chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 second bursts at a time, stirring well between each, and dip/smear each biscotti with more chocolate. If you want more orange flavor, add 1/2 tsp orange extract to this chocolate (about 1 cup of chips) It can set at room temperature, but would be faster in the fridge.

Some may consider the chocolate coating overkill, but The Geologist took his biscotti and dipped it back in the chocolate... so maybe not. He also says this is the best biscotti I've ever made. My favorite is still the Egg Nog Biscotti, but these are fabulous!!

I love how the tops look. You could drizzle them with chocolate instead, or some other kind of frosting... orange, perhaps?

Either way, they're delicious. Soft chocolate chips, chewy orange bits (which actually spread their fruity flavor into the rest of the dough!) and that wonderful crunchy texture. If you love the classic orange-chocolate combo, you will adore these biscotti!

Oh, and by the way, mine are HUGE because I only made one rectangle and for some reason this dough expands like crazy. I love biscotti. Which flavor combo should I try next? I'm thinking something with almonds...

Shared at Clever Chicks and On the Menu Monday