Candied Orange Peel {The Best DIY Christmas Gift}

Bright orange flavor shines in these picture perfect candied orange peels. Covered in sparkly sugar they look like icicles and taste like a sweet jellied orange candy. They pack and ship like a dream, making them the best DIY Christmas gift.

I have three Christmas desserts I make every year; Orange Cookies for my dad, Candied Cayenne Pecans for my mother-in-law, and Candied Orange Peel for my father-in-law. Without fail, come December I’ve got cases of oranges, 10-pound bags of sugar, and limitless pecan halves waiting in the wings to be fried, caramelized, and baked into a sweeter version of themselves.

This candied orange peel recipe is a throw back to my days at Mustard’s Grill where we would candy cases of lemon peel to garnish their epic Lemon Meringue Pie. The same technique can be used for lemons, oranges, or even grapefruit, though oranges and lemons work best.

Here’s how it works. First you need to remove the orange and white part of the orange peel. The white pith turns chewy and delicious after it has been candied.

Then cut the peel into 1/2-inch thick strips.

The next step is to blanch the peel three times in cold water. this removes a lot of the bitterness hidden in the pith.

After the strips have been blanched it is time to combine them with equal parts sugar and water.

Then bring that to a vigorous boil until the strips are soft and the white pith is mostly translucent. This takes some time, about an hour.

Once the strips are cooked, drain off the syrup into a heat-proof bowl. This syrup makes for a killer margarita and also gets really thick when cool, so it’s not a very good idea to pour it down the drain.

The last step is to toss the strips in sugar, a few at a time, until they are thoroughly coated. Save any leftover sugar for baking, it will have a delicious orange essence. I made orange cookies with the leftover sugar this year and they were pretty outstanding.

Let the strips lay out at room temperature in a single layer until they are dry. Then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or pack them up and give as gifts to friends near and far.

Looking for some other DIY Christmas Gifts? Here are a few more ideas:

• Fig and Hazelnut Candy
• Apple Hot Pepper Jelly
• Mango Cashew Coconut Granola

Candied Orange Peel {The Best DIY Christmas Gift}

Make sure to cook the peel in the sugar long enough, it takes at least 45 minutes to an hour. If you remove them too soon the strips won’t properly dry out when tossed in sugar; when in doubt, cook them a little longer.

• Author: Kate Ramos
• Yield: 3 cups of Candied Peel 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 pounds oranges (about 6 oranges)
• 7 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 cups water

Instructions

1. Remove zest and pith (the white part) from the oranges with a sharp pairing knife in large strips.
2. Slice the strips into 1/2-inch thick widths and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drain and repeat two more times.
3. Return to the pot and add 4 cups sugar and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook vigorously, stirring occasionally, until syrup is thick and peel looks translucent, about an hour. If syrup is bubbling violently, turn down heat.
4. Carefully drain peel in a fine strainer set over a heat-proof bowl (save this syrup for cocktails).
5. Put 3 cups sugar in a medium bowl. Place 1/3 of the peel in the bowl and toss in the sugar until thoroughly coated. Spread peel out on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining peel, doing 1/3 at a time.
6. When dry, store in a tightly-covered container for up to 2 weeks.