Candied Orange Peel

Candied Orange Peel Recipe

Candied orange peel is an old fashioned sweet treat (with just a hint of bitter) that has the texture of gum drops — and it’s easy to make and all natural. The delicious candied peel can be used to decorate cakes, added to trifles, dipped in melted chocolate or simply eaten on its own. This recipe also works with lemon peel and grapefruit peel.

For a great homemade gift at Christmas time, dip the finished pieces in melted chocolate, let cool and drain on parchment paper, and place in clear cellophane bags tied with a ribbon.

Candied Orange Peel Recipe

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Candy

Servings 32 pieces

Ingredients

  

• 1 orange navel works well
• 2 cups water plus more for blanching
• 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling

Instructions

 

• Slice the orange into eight equal segments.
• With a sharp paring knife, separate the peel from the pulp. Have the orange pulp segments for a snack.
• Further slice each of the peel segments into four strips per segment.
• Blanch the orange peel strips by covering them with water in a small saucepan and bringing the water to a boil. Drain. Repeat this step 2 more times. Blanching the orange peel three times is an important step that reduces bitterness and will produce the proper texture for the candy.
• Mix the two cups of water and one cup of sugar in a small saucepan and heat to dissolve the sugar completely.
• Add the orange peel to the hot sugar water, bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let simmer (uncovered) for 45 minutes. Don’t let the pan boil dry.
• Drain the orange peels and allow to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 220º F.
• Spread the orange peels out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle two or three tablespoons of granulated sugar over the orange peels and roll them in the sugar to evenly coat.
• Place the sugared orange peels in the heated oven for one hour.
• Move the orange peels off the baking pan to allow them to cool and store them in an airtight covered container.

These clear cellophane bags on amazon.com would work great for gifting candied orange peel.