Candied Orange Peel and Chocolates for Christmas

Happy Monday!  Today, I've got a variety of chocolate candies to share with you.  To make your own, you will need:

• Candied orange peel
• Melting chocolate or chocolate chips
• Waxed paper
• Crock pot or double boiler

This is such a yummy treat, and it makes a great gift!  I found my recipe for candied orange peel over at The Food Network.  Basically, you boil your orange peels a few times, and then cook them in simple syrup.  They are so delicious!

As yummy as these are on their own, I wanted to add some chocolate for an extra sweet treat.  Fill up some mason jars with your chocolate chips and then leave then in a crock pot full of water on the high heat setting.  Stir occasionally until it is melted.

While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, set up your work space.  Pick out the prettiest orange peels to dip in chocolate and line them up on a sheet of waxed paper.  Lay out a clean sheet next to the orange peel.  This way, the excess sugar from the candied orange peel won't get all over the chocolate.

To get a nice coating on your orange peel, I found that tapping the excess sugar off and then laying the rind in your stirring spoon worked best.  Then lay them out on your clean waxed paper to let them cool and harden.

You can also chop up the orange peel into small squares.  Use these to make little chocolate buttons by simply putting a dollop of melted chocolate onto waxed paper and placing orange peel in the center.

If you're feeling extra ambitious, use silicone ice cube trays and put candied orange peel or candy cane pieces inside.

Fill with chocolate, tap out the air bubbles, and let firm completely.  Then simply pop them out of the tray!

Thank goodness these make for lovely gifts!  Otherwise, I would have eaten them all myself...