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Scrumptious Candied Citrus Peel

December 19, 2012 by KimiHarris 16 Comments

Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*
Thanks for stopping by! If you're interested in healthy eating check out my free gifts! and subscribe to get regular email updates. *Some links may be affiliate.*

Sweet, absolutely naturally flavored citrus peel (you are making the peel itself into candy!) makes a wonderful gift and uses something that is generally discarded! These remind us a little of gummy worm in texture, as they are soft in the middle, but they have more variety of texture than gummy worms because of the crunchy sugar coating. Plus, nothing beats natures complex flavor profiles which these strips provide.

So good.

And, you can certainly chop them up and throw them into muffins for Christmas morning. use them in homemade truffles, dice them finely and add to shortbread cookie or sugar cookie dough. Or dip half of each candied peel into melted chocolate. Or what about topping a piece of fudge with a small sliver?ย  The possibilities are endless here. These do use a lot of sweetener, by the way, which is why I don’t make them all the time. But Christmas is definitely the time of year to make them, as citrus is often on sale and abundant! If you can, buy citrus that has not been waxed and organic to avoid some of the residues on the peel.

Another bonus to this recipe? You are left with a gorgeous citrus-y sugar syrup perfect for drizzling on waffles, pancakes, or ice cream, adding to hot or cold tea, or using in a wide variety of applications! I bet a hot chocolate sweetened with this syrup would be divine.

I made my candies with grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime peels. You can use all orange, or a mix of whatever you like!

Candied Citrus Peel– Makes about 4 cups
This makes a large batch, so that you have plenty to share or use in different applications. I am sure you could divide this batch by half or thirds, if desired.

  • 6 medium oranges, or whatever citrus fruits you’d like to use
  • 4 cups of unbleached, evaporated (affiliate link)ย Organic Cane Sugar
    (you can also try using other sweetenersย  – this is what I choose to use for this recipe because of the lighter flavor and color)
  • 3 cups of water

1. Cut off the top and bottom of the citrus fruit, and score the peel into 4 pieces diagonally to make peeling it easier. Peel off each quarter (if you have an orange whose peel doesn’t cling to the fruit, you can simple peel it without the above, trying to keep it in larger pieces). Cut the peel into long strips about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Do this with all of the fruit. Save the fruit for other uses.

2. In a medium/large pot add the citrus peels and cover with water (I use filtered). Bring to a low simmer over high heat, lower heat to keep at a low simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Drain over the sink using a fine sieve, carefully. Place back in the pot, and cover with water again. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, and cook for another 15 minutes. Drain again, well. This removes a lot of the bitterness from the peel. Set aside the peel.

3. In the same, now empty, pot place 3 cups of water and 3 cups of the sugar. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, waiting until the sugar has dissolved into the water. Add the peel, and bring back to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer for 45 minutes. Take off of the heat and allow the mixture to cool somewhat. The citrus peels should be quite soft. Drain through a fine sieve over a heat safe bowl. Make sure the citrus peels are well-drained. Then toss small batches of the peels in the leftover 1 cup of sugar. (You may need to use a little bit more sugar, depending on how big your citrus fruits were.)

4. Allow to dry on a rack over a pan (to catch excess sugar and any drips), or place on plates/pans to dry, and flip over half way through the drying process. I allowed mine to dry overnight, and they were perfect. They should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside when done. It could take up to 48 hours, and as little as 5 hours. They will last at least 3 days at room temperature and freezer well too.

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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karin De La Rosa

    December 19, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    Perfect timing! We just recieved our Winter CSA share today and in it is 40lbs of citrus! We’ll get a box ever two weeks, from now through March (along with vegetables too of course). I just have to make sure I’m giving away the candied peels and don’t eat them all myself! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      December 20, 2012 at 10:38 am

      Karin,

      WOW! I can’t believe you get that much from your CSA! That’s lovely.

      Reply
  2. Kathy

    December 19, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Do you think it’s best to use organic fruit?

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      December 20, 2012 at 10:38 am

      I think so, as the peels are often treated with a variety of products.

      Reply
  3. Kristy

    December 19, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    This sounds so good, and our CSA goes year round as they cooperate with other farms, so this will brighten up the winter!

    Reply
  4. Michelle

    December 20, 2012 at 12:28 am

    I love these and I bet they would be fabulous in muffins! I’d love if you’d link this up with me here http://michellesfavoritethings.blogspot.com/p/tuesdays-tasting-party.html

    Reply
  5. brite

    December 20, 2012 at 5:42 am

    This looks great! My son just had a severe allergic reaction to clementines… apparently they are dipped in two anti-fungal/deworming drugs. He didn’t eat the peel, but I guess enough seeped in that it made his mouth burn and he drooled and wailed, and didn’t really acknowledge any of us for several hours (and when I looked up the chemicals these were the reactions they warned of). This happened two days in a row so now I am a big fan of organic citrus! ๐Ÿ™‚ I think it must have been a bad batch, but watch out for those clementines.

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      December 20, 2012 at 10:36 am

      Oh man! That is terrible! Thanks for sharing about your experience.

      Reply
  6. Amanda

    December 23, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    What a great recipe! Thanks for the perfect last-minute gift idea.

    Reply
  7. Tricia

    December 27, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    This kind of candy is popular here in Mexico, my father in law loves it! He calls the orange and lemon, lime ones simply “citron” . Vry good indeed! Maybe I can wow him the next holiday by making it myself ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  8. Tina

    March 6, 2013 at 5:12 am

    You can use honey instead of sugar for these . We make candied orange and grapefruit peels often. You can also make a chocolate coating using one tbsp coconut oil, two tbsp of raw cacao and a tsp or so of honey to taste. Melt the coconut oil over gentle heat just until liquid, stir in the honey and then the cacao . I freeze the citrus peels after I candy them so if I am coating in chocolate mixture I just take them from the freezer, dip one end in chocolate and let it harden on a waxed sheet.
    I find it is better to store them in the freezer so I don’t eat them all!!!

    Reply
  9. Kathleen

    December 6, 2014 at 3:04 am

    What’s the best way to store these?
    Are their preferred packaging ideas for gift-giving?

    Reply
  10. Rene

    December 9, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    I have a bunch of mandarins but they come with a lot of the white part on the underside of the peel. Does the white part need to be removed?

    Reply
    • KimiHarris

      December 9, 2014 at 10:28 pm

      Nope! It shouldn’t be a problem. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  11. Jennifer

    December 22, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    Where are we leaving these to “dry out”? Fridge, counter?

    I have mine sitting in dehydrator (not turned on) and I am wondering if they should be in fridge. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  12. Cherye

    January 30, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Will dry canning keep them fresher?

    Reply

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The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you become a better cook! This site is primarily for sharing family friendly recipes. It's not meant to give medical advice or to make any health claims on the prevention or curing of diseases.This site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Also, any links to sponsors or affiliates (including Amazon) may give me a percentage of the sale or a pay per click. Thank you for supporting this site.

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