Chocolate oranges have a thin, easy-to-peel rind with a glossy, smooth, and pebbled appearance, a texture created from the prominence of sunken oil glands, creating small bumps on the surface. The oranges also develop a distinct brown hue from the presence of multiple pigments within the skin. Chocolate oranges ripen from green to variegated orange, brown, and green hues. The bright orange flesh is divided into 10 to 11 segments by thin membranes and is seedless with a tender, aqueous, soft, and succulent texture. Chocolate oranges are aromatic and release sweet, fruity, and floral notes when peeled. The flesh is known for its high sugar content, reaching 12 Brix, mixed with low acidity, creating a mild, sugary-sweet, and neutral flavor.
 
Chocolate oranges have a mild and sweet taste suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The oranges are primarily consumed raw to savor their juicy nature and colorful rind, and the flesh can be segmented and tossed into salads, used as a topping over breakfast dishes such as parfaits and oats, or mixed into fruit medleys. Chocolate oranges can be used in any recipe calling for standard navel oranges, and the flesh is popularly chopped into dips and spreads, added to salsa, used as a garnish over cooked meats, or segmented and dipped into chocolate as a snack. Try placing orange slices over toast with soft cheese or serve the oranges with the rind still attached on charcuterie boards. In addition to fresh preparations, Chocolate oranges can be simmered into jams, jellies, and marmalades, and pure cocoa powder can be mixed into the marmalade as a unique variation. The oranges can also be zested and juiced to flavor cakes, scones, cookies, and other baked goods or cooked into syrups. The rind can be dried and ground into salts and sugars, cooked into sauces for meats, or roasted to create a layer of caramelization and served with cinnamon as a dessert. Chocolate oranges pair well with nuts such as pistachios, pecans, almonds, and pine, fruits including strawberries, bananas, coconut, and pomegranate seeds, cucumber, herbs such as cilantro, parsley, and rosemary, seafood including shrimp, fish, and scallops, and meats such as poultry, pork, and steak. Whole, Navel Chocolate oranges will keep up to a week at room temperature and up to two weeks when stored in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.