CHOCOLATE ORANGE ON THE RITZ

Chocolate Orange On The Ritz image

My family loves those chocolate oranges you buy that are wrapped in orange foil and beautifully boxed. You just whack them on the counter and that breaks loose the slices. I think they are seasonal so we can't buy them just anytime here in our area. Lillian Russo has a recipe called "Ritz Mint Cookies", which we dearly love. So...

Provided by Bea L.

Number Of Ingredients 3

Ingredients

14 oz bag candy melts
1/2 tsp pure orange extract (approx)
2 sleeves ritz crackers (approx)

Steps:

1. Melt chocolate. I use a double boiler but you can follow the directions on the package. I buy my candy melts (Wilton)* either at Michael's or Walmart.
2. Add in the orange extract and stir vigorously. You may add a drop or so more if you want it really orange tasting. Just remember that the orange flavor intensifies with time.
3. If you see that the extract dries the chocolate somewhat you can add paraffin wax to the mixture. I used about a one inch piece in mine. Some people claim that the paraffin adds gloss to candy.
4. Dip an individual ritz cracker into the melted chocolate (I use tongs) and place onto waxed paper to dry. You may have to use more than two sleeves of ritz. TIP: I spoon extra chocolate on top of each cracker once they are on the wax paper. This just makes the chocolate thicker on each cracker. Store in an airtight container once completely dry.
5. NOTE: *You can also use the Almond Bark Candy Coating (or any kind of chocolate really) instead of the candy melts. If you use the whole package you'll probably need to use more orange extract and more ritz crackers. You can actually make as few or as many as you want by using your own judgement on the amounts. FYI: These freeze very well. You can eat them straight from the freezer.
6. Here's a picture of the chocolate oranges you buy from the store. Thank you, Karla Everett, for providing this pic for us! (((( hugs )))) Be sure to click on all the pics so you can see the box they come in.
7. TIP: Stormy suggested omitting the orange extract and sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top of the chocolate. Bonnie used peanut butter chips with rum extract on the bottom and chocolate on top. She also just chocolate covered one side of the ritz. Didi suggested using raspberry extract instead of the orange. Colleen added sprinkles on top of the chocolate. Jan says you can also us Loran oil rather than extract, too. Just get creative and see what you come up with. More suggestions: Cover them with red chocolate for Valentines Day, green for St. Patrick's Day, several colors for Easter, red & green for Christmas, etc.