Is it the right season to talk about candied orange peels?

The first time I ventured into making candied orange peels, years ago, was the week after Easter when I had leftover chocolate from the eggs to use, and among the many recycling recipes, this one came to mind. 🙂

Trust me: if you’re also a sweet tooth, don’t miss out on this treat! Candied orange peels dipped in chocolate are a delight you absolutely have to try, and the satisfaction of having made them with your own hands is priceless.

The idea of making them myself had been tempting me for quite some time, but I considered it, if not difficult, certainly demanding or something that required precision. In short, one of those tedious things I usually avoid.
But I was completely wrong. After my first attempt, where I made a few beginner’s mistakes, I realized it’s quite the opposite because making candied orange peels is easy and accessible to everyone.

And the goodness of these peels will make you never look back: I assure you that in your desserts, you won’t use store-bought candied peels anymore! 😊

〰〰〰

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 12 Hours
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Winter, Spring

Ingredients

3.5 oz orange peels (untreated)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (or cane sugar)
1/3 cup water
dark chocolate (optional)
butter (for melting the chocolate)

Tools

Pan
Cooling Rack

Steps

Cut the orange peel into strips.
Place them in a pan covered with water and boil for a few minutes (3-4 minutes).
Drain them, discard the water, and repeat the procedure, finally repeat for a third time.
If the peels are thin, two boils are sufficient.
Since the white part of the oranges can be bitter, after boiling, let the peels cool slightly and thin out the white part by trimming it with a knife.
Initially, I used to do this before boiling, but with a bit of experience, I’ve learned it’s easier to do it afterward. And in some cases (when the peelsare thin) it’s a step that’s not necessary.
At this point, weigh the peels. Then, measure an almost equal, but smaller, amount of sugar. Specifically, for every 100 grams of orange peel, weigh 80 grams of sugar.
Place the peels in a pan, add the sugar and (about) an equal weight of water.
Bring to a boil and cook the peels in the syrup, over low heat to avoid darkening, stirring and turning often until the syrup is completely absorbed. Then lay them out to dry on a cooling rack:
or on a sheet of parchment paper.
Whether it’s a rack or parchment paper, make sure not to overlap the peels, otherwise they’ll stick together.
At the end of this procedure, the peels are very sticky but already very tasty to eat.
Let the peels dry for 12-24 hours.
The drying time varies depending on the room temperature and how wet they are, meaning how much syrup they contain.
Initially, I wasn’t sure how long they should dry, so I let the first peels dry for a couple of days until they stopped being sticky to the touch, but then I realized that if they dry too much, the peels can become hard and break.
Additionally, if they’re too dry, the sugar won’t stick. It’s better to sugar them while they’re still a bit sticky.
If they end up drying too much, don’t worry, you can turn them into crumbs by chopping them with a knife or in a food processor: the crumbs will be perfect in desserts and doughs, for example, in shortcrust pastry to flavor pies or cookies. Here they are, my candied orange peel crumbs:
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
For every 50 grams of chocolate, broken into small pieces, add 10 grams of butter and a tablespoon of water.
If using the microwave, 30 seconds at maximum power is sufficient, then stir the chocolate well to mix it with the melted butter and to dissolve any chocolate pieces that may not have completely melted.
Dip the peels.
Eat immediately, or place the peels on a plate or parchment paper, and wait for the chocolate to cool and set.
They are delicious!
If well dried, the peels can be stored for several months in an airtight container in the fridge. I tried storing them in a glass jar at room temperature, but after a month they became moldy, evidently due to the humidity. In the fridge, however, they keep for many months, naturally checking periodically and wiping any moisture from the lid if necessary.
Now it’s your turn! 🙆‍♀️