I’ve made candied orange peel a few years running and, while they do take a bit of time, they are very low cost and make some beautiful gifts.  Using up the orange peel this way is also incredibly satisfying and people are always so grateful for a gift that has been homemade.  My main problem, is keeping them away from Rob long enough to give them away!  I haven’t included quantities because it is really up to you how much you make 🙂

Ingredients:

Orange peel

Granulated sugar

Method

Cut your orange into quarters and remove (and eat) the flesh.  Cut as much of the pith away as you can without damaging the skin.  You’re aiming for about 5mm of orange skin when you’re done.  Cut each quarter into 3 (giving you 12 strips of peel from one orange)

Put the peel in a saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes then drain and replace the water.  Only use enough water to cover the peel.  Boil again then simmer for 30 minutes.

Drain the peel but this time keep the cooking liquid. Add 100g of sugar to each 100ml of cooking liquid you have.  Heat in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved then add the peel and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Leave to cool then remove the peel and place on a wire rack.

Put the peel in the oven on its lowest setting and leave to dry out.  This can take quite a long time.  I tend to leave the peel in the top oven for a good few hours while I’m using the main oven.

Sprinkle a reusable baking sheet with sugar and toss your peel in it to coat them.  They still need to dry so spread them out and leave out  for another few hours.

Once your candied peel has dried out, store in an airtight container.

These taste delicious dipped in chocolate!