Candied Orange Peel

After making that lovely Orange and Coconut Crisp yesterday, I had a whole stack of orange peels left and I thought it would be a real shame to waste them!

I had always wanted to make candied orange peel, but for one reason or another I'd never done it. My sister used to make it for my father for Christmas. He really loved it.



I know you can pay a real fortune for candied peel when you go to buy it in the shops. I found a recipe for it online and decided to go for it.



My goodness but it made alot . . . and I really mean a LOT! I now have candied orange peel up the kazooey! But that's ok, coz we rather really like it!



You can always dip it in chocolate if you want as well. Dark chocolate is really tasty. Orange and chocolate are such a delicious combination . . . it hasn't done Terry's any harm! (Just whack it!)



You also have the added bonus of having several cups of orange syrup at the end of the process that you can use to make tasty drinks with. I am thinking that it might be rather nice stirred into hot chocolate, or iced drinks.



It might even be nice on french toast . . . hmmm . . . coconut milk french toast with an orange syrup. Now THAT sounds delish!

Mmm . . . makes a nice fat free snack, this does. I am in love.



*Candied Orange Peel*
Makes a lot
Printable Recipe

Bitter and sweet at the same time. Not that hard to make!

6 thick skinned navel oranges
900g of sugar (4 1/2 cups)
375ml of water (1 1/2 cups)
extra sugar for dredging

Cut the tops and bottoms from the oranges and score the oranges into quarters. Cut only into the peel, and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and white pith off of the oranges in large pieces, reserving the actual flesh for something else. Cut the peels into strips about 1/4 inch wide. Place into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then drain. Repeat this twice more, using fresh water each time. This helps to mellow out the bitterness.

Take a clean saucepan and place the sugar and water into it. Bring to a simmer and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the peels and continue to simmer for another 45 minutes until translucent. Do not stir as this will cause crystals to form. If you need to you can gently swirl the pan to move the peels around. Once translucent, drain the peels well, reserving the syrup, which can be used for other things such as flavouring drinks etc. Dredge the orange peels in sugar and place on wire rack to dry overnight. Stire in an airtight container.