One last Treat - Candied Citrus Peel

Good morning! I wanted to share one last Holiday treat that I make every year. To be honest, this tends to be a favorite of the "older" crowd, but I will say that my 9 year old truly enjoys nibbling on these. My MIL says she really enjoys eating them while drinking her tea.

The 3 year olds aren't fans yet, but I'm sure seeing them every year they will come to at least appreciate if not love them.

I always make them the same way, but there are varieties on the recipe. Again, I always sugar them, but they would be just as yummy and pretty dipped in some chocolate too. My recipe is a Martha Stewart recipe that I copied years ago. I have no idea if its in the archives or not. You can also use any Citrus peels, but I honestly feel that Orange Rinds taste the best.

Ingredients

• 8 navel oranges (or any citrus fruit)
• 7 cups sugar
• 2 T light corn syrup
• 1 T grenadine (if I have it I use it, but I don't really can't see or taste the difference from year to year)
  

1. Slice oranges in half, place in 8-quart stockpot; fill pot with enough water to cover oranges. cover surface of water directly with a piece of parchment paper cut to same size diameter as the stockpot. bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.
2. Remove oranges; place upside down on a wire rack to drain. Reserve parchment round. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh with a spoon (do not puncture orange skin). Discard flesh. Cut orange rinds in half, then cut lengthwise into 1/4" inch strips
3. Combine 5 cups sugar, corn syrup, grenadine, and 2 2/3 cups water in the stockpot; bring to boil over medium-hi heat, using a wet pastry brush to incorporate sugar crystals that form on side of pot. Add orange strips; reduce heat. Cover with reserved parchment round, and simmer for 2 hours, occasionally turning gently. Turn off heat; let cool in syrup until translucent, about 1 hour. Using a slotted spoon, remove orange strips from syrup. Spread on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Let dry for 30 minutes.
4. Place remaining 2 cups sugar in a medium shallow bowl. Working with 2 to 3 candied strips at a time, place in sugar and toss to entirely coat. Return sugared strips to wire rack to dry for 1 hour. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

This year, I did this in stages. I boiled the peel, let cool, and sliced and then I did the 2nd round the next morning. Its a bit time consuming but easy and well worth the effort.

Thanks for stopping by and MAKE SURE to come back tomorrow. I'm going to start all my Sneak Peeks for Clear Dollar Stamps January Releases. You are going to love them ALL!!!

Oh one more thing to mention too. Clear Dollar Stamps has a new gallery up too. I put it up on my side bar, but forgot to actually mention it in a post. All the DT's projects using the new stamps from December and all future stamp sets are all housed HERE together. So make sure to take a visit for some incredible inspiration!