Sweet Treats: Making Candied Citrus Peel

Candied citrus peel can be a special treat enjoyed anytime of the year and often used in holiday baking. Have a recipe that calls for candied citron, but unable to locate any? Try making your own or substituting with homemade candied lemon peel. Luckily, candied peels are simple to make and the taste will be unrivaled when compared to something bought in a grocery store.

Remove citrus peels.

Start by peeling the chosen citrus, I chose lemons as a substitute for citron in a recipe. I found the easiest way to do this was to cut the outside into 5-6 sections, skin-deep and then simply peeling back the skin.

Clean off the peels, ensuring there is no fruit attached. You may also choose to remove the white pith. Since I was looking to substitute for the thick-skinned citron, I chose to leave the piths attached.

Slice citrus peels.

Thinly slice the peels into strips, lengthwise.

Cover citrus peels with cold water, boil.

Place peels in a pot, cover with cold water. Slowly bring water to a boil, simmer 10-15 minutes. Replace the water 3-5 times and re-boil to help remove any bitter flavors.

Simmer peels in sugar syrup.

Combine the citrus peels with a sugar syrup (listed below) and bring to a boil. Simmer peels until syrup is nearly gone.

Sugar Syrup (for every two cups of peels):

• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup sugar

Let peels dry for only a couple minutes—I used a strainer to help drain off excess syrup.

The finished product! Yum!

Roll in sugar and dry on waxed paper. However, if using the peels for baking, rolling in sugar is optional.

Once dry, store in an airtight container.

Looking for a sweet treat? Try dipping in melted chocolate—they make excellent holiday gifts!

Lebkuchen made with homemade candied lemon peels as a substitute for the citron required.

About these ads