Ingredients
Method
Prepare the Orange Peels
- Rinse the oranges thoroughly under lukewarm water and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. Scrub them gently with a vegetable brush if you have one. This removes any wax coating that's applied to commercial oranges.
Quartering Method (Traditional):
- Using a sharp knife, cut off the top and bottom of each orange - just enough to expose the flesh. Stand the orange upright on a cutting board.
- Score the orange peel vertically from top to bottom, making 4 evenly-spaced cuts around the orange. Cut through only the peel and pith - don't cut into the orange flesh itself. You're essentially dividing the peel into quarters.
- Carefully peel away each quarter section, working your fingers under the peel to separate it from the fruit. The peel should come off in large pieces. Save the naked oranges for eating, juicing, or salads.
- Lay each peel quarter flat on the cutting board, skin side down. Use a sharp paring knife or a sturdy spoon to scrape away as much white pith as you can. The pith is where most of the bitterness lives, so be thorough, but don't stress about getting every microscopic bit - the triple blanching will handle the rest. Scrape until the peel is thinner and you can see mostly orange color.
- Once the pith is removed, slice each quarter into strips about ¼ inch wide. Cut from top to bottom so you have long, even strips.
Vegetable Peeler Method (Alternative):
- If you prefer thinner strips with less pith to start with, use a sharp vegetable peeler instead. Peel long strips from the oranges from top to bottom, pressing firmly but not too hard. You want just the colored outer layer with minimal white pith.
- Work your way around each orange until you've removed all the colored peel. Once you have all your peels, lay them flat on a cutting board skin side down and scrape away any white pith you can see with a knife or spoon. Don't obsess over tiny bits - just get the obvious pith off.
- Stack several strips together and slice them lengthwise into thin strips about ⅛ inch wide. This method gives you thinner, more delicate strips that may candy faster.
Blanch the Peels (Critical Step)
- Fill a medium saucepan with cold water and add the orange peel strips. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a hard simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain the peels in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Dump out the water from the saucepan - this water contains bitter compounds you've just extracted.
- Repeat this blanching process two more times for a total of three blanches. Each time: fresh cold water, bring to a boil, hard simmer for 10 minutes, drain, rinse, discard water.
- After the third blanch, taste a small piece of peel. It should be tender and have minimal bitterness. If it's still quite bitter, blanch one more time. The peels should be soft and pliable.
- Transfer the blanched peels to a bowl of cold water and let them sit for 5 minutes. This final rinse helps remove any remaining bitter compounds. Drain well.
Candy the Peels
- In a clean saucepan, combine the 1 cup (200g) sugar, 1½ cups (350ml) water, and ½ cup (118ml) fresh orange juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves completely. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the blanched and drained orange peel strips to the simmering syrup. The liquid should just barely cover the peels - if it doesn't, add a splash more water.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer very gently. DO NOT STIR during this phase or the syrup may crystallize. If you absolutely must move things around, pick up the whole pot and swirl it gently instead of stirring with a spoon.
- Cook until the peels are soft and start to look translucent. The key visual: when they're ready, the pith will look almost pale green. This is your signal that they're done.
Timing depends on strip thickness:
- Thin strips (vegetable peeler method): 10-15 minutes
- Thicker strips (quartering method): 30-40 minutes
- The syrup should reduce and thicken considerably. Don't let it boil hard or the peels will become tough - keep it at a gentle simmer.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit, covered, for 15-20 minutes. This allows the peels to absorb even more syrup and become completely saturated with sweetness.
Dry the Peels
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a wire cooling rack on top.
- Using a fork or slotted spoon, lift the candied peels out of the syrup one strip at a time, letting excess syrup drip back into the pan. Arrange them in a single layer on the wire rack, not touching each other.
- Save the leftover syrup - it's incredible. Store it in a jar in the refrigerator and use it to sweeten cocktails, drizzle over ice cream or yogurt, or brush onto cakes.
- Let the peels dry at room temperature for 12-24 hours. They should be slightly sticky/tacky to the touch but no longer wet or dripping. This is the correct texture - they will not be completely dry like store-bought versions. The sugar from the syrup creates a natural coating that's sweet and slightly sticky.
- You can speed up drying by placing them in an oven set to 160°F (70°C) for 1-2 hours, checking every 30 minutes. But slower room temperature drying often gives better results.
- Toss in brown sugar until the strips of peel are coated on all sides. Shake of any excess.
Storage
- Store the candied orange peel in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Layer them between sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- If they dry out too much and become hard, you can toss them in a bit more syrup or simple syrup to re-moisten them.
Notes
Two peeling methods give you options. The quartering method is traditional and gives you substantial strips. The vegetable peeler method creates thinner, more delicate strips with less pith to start. Both work - choose based on your preference and how you'll use them.
Multiple blanching is absolutely essential. Each blanch draws out more bitter compounds (limonin and naringin) from the peel. Three blanches minimum with 10-minute hard simmers - four if you're working with particularly thick-skinned oranges. This is the difference between bitter and perfect.
Scraping the pith helps reduce bitterness, but you don't need to be obsessive about it. Get most of it off, but the triple blanching is what really removes the bitter compounds. Some pith remaining is fine - it'll actually turn that pale green color when properly candied, which is a good visual cue.
DO NOT STIR while candying - this is crucial to prevent crystallization. Stirring encourages sugar crystals to form, which ruins the smooth syrup coating. If you must move things around, swirl the entire pot gently instead of using a spoon.
The pale green visual cue tells you when they're done. When the white pith turns almost pale green and the strips look translucent, they're ready. This happens much faster with thin strips (10-15 minutes) than thick ones (30-40 minutes).
Orange juice in the syrup reinforces the orange flavor that's partially lost during blanching. It also adds acidity which balances the sweetness and helps prevent crystallization.
Low, slow simmer ensures the peels absorb the syrup without toughening. If you boil them hard, they'll shrivel and become chewy. Gentle heat keeps them tender.
Proper drying gives you that perfect candied texture - slightly sticky and tacky, not wet, not bone-dry. They should feel like they have a thin syrup coating. This is correct - commercial versions are often dried out completely, but homemade should retain some moisture and stickiness.
No sugar coating needed - the syrup creates its own sweet coating as it dries. Adding granulated sugar is optional for presentation or if you prefer a drier texture, but the natural syrup coating is plenty sweet and more elegant.
Thick-skinned oranges like navels work better than thin-skinned varieties. You want substantial peel to work with. Avoid tangerines or mandarins - their peels are too thin and delicate.