Jaffas

Jaffas (Chocolate-Covered Orange Balls)

Jaffas are a classic New Zealand confection: small spheres of orange-flavoured fondant or sugar-paste coated in rich dark chocolate. This homemade version captures the nostalgic theatre-snack flavour using simple kitchen tools.

Prep

30 min

Cook

20 min

Total

50 min

Serves

30 pieces

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz (about 1½ cups)) icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
• •20 g (2 tbsp) dried orange peel, finely grated or blitzed; or use 2 tsp orange zest dried on a paper towel
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh orange juice, from about half an orange
• •5 ml (1 tsp) orange blossom water, optional, but traditional Kiwi-style Jaffas use a strong orange note
• •1 g (pinch) orange food colouring, optional, for the classic Jaffa look
• •250 g (9 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), good-quality eating chocolate; couveture gives the glossiest shell, but a good block chocolate works at home
• •10 g (1 tbsp) coconut oil or cocoa butter, helps the chocolate set with a snap; sub with a knob of butter in a home kitchen

Steps

1. 1 Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the dried orange peel, orange juice, orange blossom water (if using) and food colouring. Mix with a spoon, then knead by hand until you have a stiff, pliable paste — about 3 minutes. If sticky, dust with more icing sugar; if dry, add orange juice a few drops at a time.
2. 2 Roll the paste into small balls about 12 g each (roughly 2 cm / ¾ in across), placing them on a tray lined with baking paper. You should get about 30 balls.
3. 3 Let the balls rest uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour, or chill for 20 minutes, so they form a dry skin — this stops the orange centre from bleeding into the chocolate.
4. 4 Finely chop the dark chocolate. Melt it gently with the coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (bain-marie), stirring until smooth. Do not let the bowl touch the water or the chocolate will seize. Aim for the chocolate to reach 45–50 °C / 113–122 °F, then cool to about 27–28 °C / 80–82 °F for a glossy snap set. (Home cooks: simply melt until smooth and let it cool until it feels barely warm on the lip of the bowl.)
5. 5 Drop each orange ball into the melted chocolate and, using two forks, roll it until fully coated. Lift out, let excess chocolate drip off, and place back on the lined tray.
6. 6 Repeat with all balls. If the chocolate thickens as you work, rewarm briefly over the bain-marie.
7. 7 Chill the Jaffas for 15–20 minutes until the chocolate shell is firm and snaps when tapped. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for up to 1 month; bring back to room temperature before serving so the centre softens and the chocolate loses its chill-strike.