1-First off: preheat your oven to 275°F (135°C). That’s the secret to getting that nice bake without overdoing it. Mix all the ingredients except the powdered sugar in a bowl think chopped orange slice candy, those two cans of unspecified ingredients, and the chopped cup of the other ingredient. Pop the mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Once it’s out, stir in the sifted powdered sugar until it’s all blended in.

2-Now, drop spoonfuls of this mix onto waxed paper and let it dry for several hours. If the bottoms are sticky later, just flip them with a spatula and give them more time to set. This step is crucial because drying isn’t counted in the cooking time, so start early if you’re gifting these. The candy might have some partially melted chunks, which adds texture, but softer jelly candies can make it smoother.

3-To build on that, let’s dive deeper. Begin by measuring out everything: granulated sugar, fresh orange juice, butter, corn syrup, and zest. Use a clean pan and a thermometer to keep things precise. In your saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and orange juice over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Then, let it boil to about 300°F for that hard-crack stage.

4-Once off the heat, mix in the butter and zest quickly. Pour it out on a greased sheet, let it cool, and cut it up. For any dietary swaps, like vegan butter in this step, it works like a charm. Follow these tips, and you’ll preserve that signature orange flavor every time.

5-This method produces a large batch, perfect for sharing, and turning over sticky pieces during cooling helps with even drying. I’ve made this plenty of times, and it’s always a hit.