Candied Orange Peel

This candied orange peel recipe is so easy, you'll never throw away orange peels again! Jelly-soft with the perfect sugar crunch!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, French

Keyword candied orange peel, candied orange peels, candy orange peels, candying orange peels

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Drying TIme 1

Total Time 1 55

Servings cups

Calories 1031kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

Ingredients

4 large Oranges
4 cups Granulated sugar divided
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Instructions

Using a paring knife, trim off the tops and bottoms of the orange. Then, use a vegetable peeler to peel the oranges from top to bottom, into 2-4 inch segments. Press the peeler firmly against the orange to collect nice wide strips.
4 large Oranges
Remove as much of the white pith as you can with your paring knife, then slice the strips again into even, thin slices, about ¼ inch thick.
Prepare a bowl of ice water in the sink. Then, place a pot of water on the stove over high heat, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the peels. Let them boil for only a few seconds before removing them and dunking them in the ice water.
Repeat the process of placing the peels in the boiling water and then ice water 2-3 more times. This process removes the bitterness from the pith without leaching out any of the flavor of the rind.
Place the pot back on the stove over medium heat, and add the measured filtered water and sugar. Then add the peels, and bring to a simmer.
4 cups Granulated sugar, 3 cups Water
Let the peels simmer for 20-30 minutes. The peels are done once they're nice and soft, but still vibrant in color.
Add in the vanilla, and take the pot off the heat. Let the peels rest in the syrup for another 10 minutes
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the peels from the sugar syrup and place on a wire rack with a baking sheet or parchment paper underneath. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Once the peels are cool enough to handle, pour the remaining sugar in a bowl and toss the peels in the sugar until well coated. If you want, you can pulse the sugar in a blender first to make a finer grain.
Place the sugar-coated peels back on the wire rack, and let rest in a well ventilated area for 1-2 days, or until the peels are completely dry. You'll know they're dry when they're no longer tacky or sticky to touch. Store, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

You can skip blanching the peels if you completely remove the white pith! If that's possible entirely depends on the thickness of the peel. Thinner peels will need to be blanched, as the pith is almost impossible to remove!

You can just toss the peels in white sugar, but if you prefer, you can make your own superfine sugar by putting sugar in a blender or food processor and pulsing it a few times. Just don't overdo it, or you'll end up with powdered sugar!

Drying the peels takes time! Place the drying peels in a well-ventilated location, preferably in the sun. It will take up to two days for them to dry out completely. For a faster drying method, place the peels in the oven at the lowest temperature it can go for 2 hours.

You can use this recipe for any sort of citrus! I like making candied lemon peels or candied grapefruit peels by following the same steps. Just make sure to thoroughly blanch the peels- bitter and sour fruits will take up to 4-5 blanches to remove the severely bitter flavor.

Nutrition