Candied Citrus Peel - Orange, Lemon, Lime
Candied Citrus Peel made the way of Patisseries. Preserve orange peel, lemon peel and lime peel in a delicious sweet syrup. Use candied citrus peel in so many sweet desserts, instead of chocolate chips or nuts. Your muffins, scones, cookies, blondies, brownies, cakes, puddings will thank you. See ReadyAndThriving.com Orange Peel Candied Crisp cookie recipe for THE BEST COOKIE you may ever eat. Also use candied peel in savory stir fries, sauces and chutneys to brighten flavors. At eat them on their own, place into water, cocktails, sangria, white wine or champagne for a delicious added flavor.
Equipment
Ingredients
Orange Peel
- 5 medium Oranges (or 3 large American Oranges)
- 1½ cups sugar, granulated or caster
- 2 cups still mineral water orange flavored is nice
- 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier (optional) Other orange flavored liqueur will also work nicely
- 1 Tbsp honey (prefer orange blossom or mild honey) can be replaced by Glucose Syrup or Light Corn Syrup
Lemon or Lime Peel
- 5 medium Lemons or Limes (or 4 large Lemons)
- 1¼ cups sugar, granulated or caster
- 2 cups still mineral water citrus flavored is nice
- 1 Tbsp Lemoncello (optional)
- 1 Tbsp honey (prefer orange blossom or mild honey) can be replaced by Glucose Syrup or Light Corn Syrup
Key Lime
- 20 Key Limes
- 1¼ cups sugar, granulated or caster
- 2 cups still mineral water key lime flavored is nice
- 1 Tbsp Key Lime Juice (optional)
- 1 Tbsp honey (prefer orange blossom or mild honey) can be replaced by Glucose Syrup or Light Corn Syrup
Sugar Coating
- 1 cup sugar, coarse or granulated
- 1 tsp cinnamon, ground (for orange peel only)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla sugar (optional)
Instructions
Prepare and Cook the Peel
- Bring large saucepan of water to a rolling boil
- Cut Citrus Fruit Peel to include all the peel, all the white pith and nice sliver of fruit (about thickness of white pith). Cut to ¼ inch (½ cm) wide strips - can be larger if desired, but keep all of them the same size.For Key Limes, simply cut them into 6 to 8 segments including all peel, pith and fruit
- Put peel into the boiling water. Blanch by cooking for 1 minute, removing it from the boiling water to cool.
- Add fresh water to sauce pan, bring to a boil.
- Repeat blanching the peel (cooking for 1 minute in boiling water, and boiling fresh water) so oranges or limes are cooked a total of 3 times. Lemons a total of 4 times.This is very important to use fresh water each time, as each cooking removes bitterness from the pith and allows the citrus flavor to shine brighter.
Make the syrup
- Combine sugar and mineral water in clean large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, dissolving all the sugar.
- Add Grand Marnier/Lemoncello/Key Lime Juice, if desired, for extra flavor.
- Add all the peel. Boil for 2 minutes.
- Stir in honey.
- Have canning jars waiting on wire rack. Pour syrup and peel equally into your canning jars. Let sit to cool completely before sealing.
- Store in refridgerator for up to two months or use wet canning method to preserve for longer. Can store peel in syrup (recommended since there are so many uses for the syrup and peel) and divide out some peel to candy further in sugar coating and kept separately.
Sugar Coat
- Drain the peel on wire rack for at least 1 hour until sticky.
- Pour sugar into a layer on a shallow baking pan. For Orange peel, combine and whisk together sugar and cinnamon first before layering out on baking pan. Put the peel on top of the sugar and toss gently to coat on all sides of the peel.
- Store sugar coated candied peel for 2 months in air-tight container.
Wet Canning for Peel in Sugar, OPTIONAL to preserve peel for up to 18 months
- Sterilize jars by placing clean jars in simmering water and cooking for 10 minutes. Or in hot dishwasher. Keep jars warm until ready to fill.
- Simmer new lids in small saucepan for 10 minutes to activate seal. Do not boil, keep at simmer 180 F / 85 C
- Fill jars with syrup and peel, per directions in recipe above. No need to cool them at this stage; move onto wet canning process. Ensure no air bubbles. Wipe rim to ensure air-tight, clean seal.
- Place lids and bands on jars to a gentle hand tighten.
- Boil water in deep pan with wire rack at the bottom. Water should be deep enough to cover the canning jars by 1-2 inches (3-5 cm).
- Use canning tongs to carefully place sealed jars into boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes for small jars, 15 minutes for medium to large jars.
- Carefully remove the jars from the boiling water with canning tongs. Allow to cool on wire rack for 24 hours. Lid should not "pop" up - if it does keep it in refridgerator up to 2 months or freeze for up to 1 year. All sealed jars are sterile and can be stored long term.
Notes
Recommend keeping peel in syrup for use in many recipes. Use instead of chocolate chips or nuts in all your dessert or bread recipes. Add to savory stir fry, sauces and chutneys to brighten the flavor profile.
Use flavored syrup in recipes instead of citrus juice. Delicious!
Can store sugar coated separately in a jar.
Use flavored syrup in recipes instead of citrus juice. Delicious!
Can store sugar coated separately in a jar.
Nutrition
Serving: 1peelCalories: 21kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 2mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 1mg
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