Waste not want not! A little candied orange peel goes a long way…
This candied orange peel is wonderful in our Merry Christmas Muffins recipe. But also great in other cakes and cookies, festive breads and stollen. Blitz them up and use instead of zest in your biscotti, for an even more intense orange flavor. Or dip them in dark chocolate, use them to decorate or just eat them as is. So do not throw away your peel and start making this simple recipe!
This is how you make the candied orange peel
Peel two big organic unwaxed oranges and remove all the white membrane from the peel. We normally half the oranges for a refreshing OJ, cut them in quarters and strip off the white membrane. Now cut the peel into small strips.
Put the peel strips in a heavy based saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the hot water and cover the peel with fresh cold water, bring to the boil again and simmer for 10 minutes. Repeat this process one more time (so a total of three times).
Now add 75 ml of water and 125 grams of sugar to the peel. Bring to the boil slowly until all the sugar is dissolved. Leave to simmer gently and stir occasionally until all the liquid is absorbed. Transfer the peel strips onto greaseproof paper to dry completely and cover them with another layer of greaseproof paper for protection. You can also sprinkle the peel with (vanilla) sugar, but I find this is not necessary when using the peel in muffins and cakes. When dry place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Lee says
Hi, I wanted to do these with lemon peels, is that possible?
Also I wanted to know roughly how many grams the orange peels you used were to see if the amount of sugar I add will be appropriate. Thanks so much! I love your baking posts 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Lee,
Yes, you can do lemon peel the same way. Sorry I have no idea what the weight of the peel is of the two oranges we used for this recipe, but the water to sugar ratio is important, so if you use more water make sure the add the right amount of sugar too. Hope it will work out OK.
paolo says
hi again from quito and thanks for your detailed explanation: I personally use candied orange peel in panettone milanese, one of the most traditional baked sweet breads in Italy, that also spread all around the world…it would be interesting to find out that you also make it!!! Cheers. I’m eager to read new blogs from both of you…Paolo
Marieke says
Hi Paolo,
As I understand, it will never be possible to remove all toxic out of any fruit that has been sprayed, because it is usually sprayed several times during it’s growth. So it is hard to know how much is left of it in any fruit you eat. As for the skin of oranges, they often have this wax coating that can be removed with a brush and warm water, and of course by cooking it several times and trowing away the water it will also be removed. So I think washing and cooking of the peel will always help and it’s probably quite safe to eat the peel, but we can never tell exactly what’s in it unless somebody in a white coat tests it for us. So my money is on the organic fruit and I just hope and expect this is the safest bet. My philosophy with food is: don’t eat to much of anything, vary as much as possible, if one day broccoli turns out to be bad for you, at least you mixed it up with beans and carrots…
Happy baking to you from Amsterdam!
Marieke
paolo says
Hi and thanks for the recipe….just a question: what if I do not find organic oranges which are supposed to be pesticide free? Happy baking from Quito, Ecuador
J. says
Thanks!
I eat organic anyway, so I’ve got that covered :).
Marieke says
Hi J.,
I think it’s both for softening the peel and for getting rid of some the bitterness and it also makes sure the peel is really clean.
I have noticed a difference in cooking out organic orange peel and other types that have been waxed. Even though I scrubbed and cleaned the waxed ones before cooking, they still gave off a smell that was far less pleasant. So I only use organic peel for that reason.
Greetings,
Marieke
J. says
Oooh, thanks for posting that! Always wondered how to make that myself – and I’m sure it will be a great addition to my fruit & nuts sourdough.
Do you know why the water has to be refreshed three times?