This is my kind of recipe. Why? It serves my short attention span perfectly because it requires only three ingredients (does water count?) and I only need to master the art of boiling water. I don’t know what it is, but when I’m faced with a recipe that requires more of me, I run for the hills and paint a dresser instead. However, I fell in LOVE with this little project because 1) I can finally use the remaining lemons dangling on my tree I brought with me from Folsom California, 2) there are opportunities to repurpose ingredients that would have otherwise been thrown out, and 3) they are DELICIOUS.
Peels not candied last for roughly 1 week refrigerated in an airtight container. Candied peels will last for months, and a little longer if you dust them with sugar.#CommissionEarned They taste like chewy lemon drops. We eat them as is, with coffee, or on cupcakes. You can even dip them in white or dark chocolate to give them a little extra za-za-zing! Here we go…
(Disclosure: I receive commission for purchases made using Amazon links in my article. I appreciate your support!)
Ingredients:
- 3 lemons #CommissionEarned
- 10 cups cold water, or as needed
- 1-1/2 cups white sugar #CommissionEarned, or as needed
Directions
- Prep, 10 minutes
- Cook, 1 hour
- Ready in 1h 45m
Cut lemons #CommissionEarned into ¼-inch thick slices, remove fruit pulp*.
Cut the peel rings in half to create bite sized strips.
Bring cold water and lemon #CommissionEarned peel to a boil in a small pan. Drain water*, and repeat 2 more times with fresh cold water. Drain and set peels aside.
Combine 2 cups fresh water with 2 cups sugar #CommissionEarned. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar #CommissionEarned.
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in peels; simmer until the white pith is translucent.
(Disclosure: I receive commission for purchases made using Amazon links in my article. I appreciate your support!)
To dry the peels, drain syrup and allow candied peels to dry for 15 minutes, then toss with additional sugar #CommissionEarned and store in an airtight container #CommissionEarned at room temperature. To keep peels soft, store with the sugar syrup in a leak proof container #CommissionEarned and refrigerate. My personal go-to for liquid and dry storage is Snapware Airtight & Spill Proof Glass #CommissionEarned containers.
This recipe can be used for other citrus, however the number of boiling cycles will differ due to its unique level of bitterness. Orange #CommissionEarned peel, 1 boiling cycle. Grapefruit #CommissionEarned peel, 5 boiling cycles.
*TIP: During the prep and boiling process I discovered I could reduce waste by repurposing the fruit pulp and first round of boiled water which had a strong lemon aroma. This week I’ll be treating myself to hot lemon juice with honey #CommissionEarned, a great hot drink alternative when you’ve reached your caffeine limit for the day. I then stored the first round of boiled water in a spray bottle #CommissionEarned to use on sheets and for gentle dusting.
