in DIY· The Christmas Shoppe
Each year I find myself drying oranges for various projects like garland, filling jars, & other various christmas decor arrangements. I love the natural organic coziness they bring to our decor & also the pop of color with all of our neutrals. I included some of our past orange garland looks below as well as the process I used this year to get the perfectly dried oranges I ended up with. Each year I try a different process & this year I finally got it right where all of my oranges were evenly dried, not burnt, & the prettiest dried oranges I have ever seen. I’m using photos in this post from past orange slices I’ve done that were a little “well done” but I still loved these because of the deep earthy tones, but check out my Instagram today to see my latest post with the bright orange slices I got from this method…
My perfect orange slice drying method:
A few tips that I think work the best:
-I have learned that for me: slow & steady is best!! It allows me more control & less spontaneous burnt oranges or them cooking unevenly.
-Use a roasting rack! It makes a difference to have the heat evenly around the oranges & not just on the bottom or top side the most.
-Dry the oranges off with a paper towel as much as possible before you put them in the oven. Oranges are so juicy and having them “pre-dried” a bit really helps.
Directions:
-Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees
-Slice oranges into approx. 1/8th inch thick pieces. I find this doesn’t have to be exact, but just make sure they are not too thick as the drying process will be a lot longer & maybe impossible to get “even”
-Place oranges on the roasting rack on a cooking sheet evenly spaced
-Take a paper towel & thoroughly dry all the oranges. Do this a few times to make sure you get a lot of the juice absorbed out of the oranges.
-Place the oranges in the oven. I place them middle to lower level of the oven to hopefully get a more even cook.
-Slow & steady method: 4-6 hours at 200 degrees. I set alarms to check every so often to make sure they are not burning and all baking evenly. You can test by touching the oranges to check for “firmness” or them getting crispy. Also you can select the color you like and if they are getting too brown.
-When mine are “done” I let them stay in the oven until the oven cools off.
-Remember every oven is different!! You know your oven best. You can also go down to 175 degrees for the same amount of time. Find your sweet spot!
I hope this tutorial helps you & that you get to make the perfect cozy cottage dried orange slices this Christmas for your decor! Let me know how this process turns out for you or what process you use to make the perfect dried orange slices… I would love to hear. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today & every single day to see what we are up to! xx
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