Quick Recipe to Dry Old Oranges & 7 Ways to Use Them

Hi there,

If you are looking to save some money over Christmas, you may decide to skip the purchasing of new baubles or decorations this year. Sprucing up your Christmas tree by using creatively the things you already have might be the way to go. 

This week I had a few oranges at home that weren't fresh enough to eat, but still had a good shape and colour. I decided to use them in some creative way rather than just binning them. 

Recipe:

1. Cut your oranges about 1cm wide. 
2. Put them on some baking paper - otherwise the sugar might leave sticky marks.
3. Heat the oven to 120C.
4. Bake the oranges on a baking rack and not tray. They will bake more evenly. 
5. Set a few timers so you are reminded to turn them around every 30-45 minutes.
6. Bake for 2-2.5h in total. 
7. Leave them to cool and use as needed.

🍊

Now, how can you use your creative decoration:

• You can create baubles for your Christmas tree by using string or paper clips.
• You can create garlands for your mantelpiece or tables.
• You can put them on each person's napkin when laying out the Christmas table.
• You can keep them in a jar to decorate your kitchen shelves.
• You can keep them in the pantry and decorate different meals and desserts throughout the year.
• You can use them to decorate jars with cookies etc.
• You can use them as potpourri by adding different dried fruits, leaves, pinecones etc.

🍊

Other things I wan to try with this recipe: 

• I've realised they smell like orange jam/caramelised oranges so you might wish to place them somewhere where you can get a sniff in passing.
• I didn't wash the oranges at the start but might try this next time. It might help to keep them from burning and create more of the pleasant smell.
• I would also like to try thinner slices and maybe take them out a bit earlier whilst they are still flexible and transparent. This would be great on cakes.

I keep mine in a cracked jar, so I kept it from going in the bin as well. This means that unfortunately, I won't be able to use these when decorating foods. Nevertheless, definitely keen to try it in the future.

Enjoy the holidays!

xx

Kari