How to make dried orange slices for Christmas decorations. In this post, I will show you the correct way to dry orange slices and how to use them to make mantle garland and Christmas tree ornaments.
I noticed that there is a lot of confusion about how to dry orange slices and some advice is actually bad and will make you burn the orange slices instead of drying them nicely.
How to make dried orange slices for Christmas decorations
Some vloggers/bloggers are recommending baking the orange slices at 250Celcius/Fahrenheit which seems insane given that orange slices are sensitive. They are fruits, not meat. You need to have patience when baking the orange slices.
I strongly advise you to start baking the orange slices at a low temperature. For example, I did mine at 50 Celcius/122fahrenheit for 5 hours in order to dry them nicely without burning them.
Making dried orange slices require a lot of time, but is a way of saving plenty of money which otherwise you would spend on Christmas tree decorations and they are very expensive. Besides, when you make a full batch of dried orange slices you can use them for multiple Christmas decorations.
How to dry orange slices
First of all, you need to decide if you want to make only dried orange slices or other dried fruits such as apples, grapefruit, or lemons. Then gently wash and dry the oranges and cut slices of 0,5cm wide.
After you cut the slices, place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess juice. Remove the orange slices from the paper towels and place them on a baking sheet.
If you want to get the best results in making dried orange slices for Christmas craft decorations, you have to dry them slowly at a low temperature. Setup the oven at 50Celcius/122fahrenheit for 5 hours and turn the orange slices every hour.
Allow the oven to cool down and then remove the oranges and place them on a napkin leaving them to air dry for one day.
Now I’m going to use the dried orange slices to make a few Christmas tree ornaments and a fireplace mantle. Help yourself with the video below to understand better the process and see all the details for making dried orange slices ornaments.
Click here for the video tutorial to make dried orange slices and decorations
I had this idea to make orange slices dipped in fake snow, to make them look like they are dipped in sugar. Although I’m quite pleased with the end result, I feel like I should dip them 3 times and not just twice.
Before I begin the process of dipping them in the fake snow, I attached the cinnamon sticks to avoid damaging the white area.
My orange slices look very pretty even without the fake snow layer
Were going to need a wooden stick to attach the dried orange sliced after we dip them in the fake snow so they can dry nicely.
How the orange slices ornament looks like after the first dip in the fake snow
For making the citrus garland, you will need a white thread, dried orange slices decorated with star anise and cloves, and a beautiful burlap bow. In the video tutorial, you will learn how to make a quick burlap bow and how to decorate the orange slices with star anise and cloves.
You might like to read:
DIY Swedish Christmas star with templates
How to make a snow flower or snöblomma flower
DIY Christmas decoration ideas to try this year
While making this citrus garland, I felt such a joy smelling the spicy aroma of star anise and the dark cloves. While the spicy smell lasted for a day or two, if you want to enjoy the festive aroma for a longer period, you will have to make a bigger garland, or place star anise and cloves in a bowl in each room of your home.
This is how my Christmas tree looks like after I added the dried orange slices and ornaments
The dried citrus garland on top of the fireplace (the fireplace is actually a wall sticker, but looks very realistic)
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