Candied Orange Peel

I garnished my orange chocolate mousse with candied orange peels and you know me, I
could not resist making my own candied orange peels. As it turns out, candied orange peels are actually pretty easy to make. It is really just as simple as peeling some oranges, slicing the peels, simmering them in water and sugar until tender, tossing them in sugar and letting them dry. Before simmering the peels in the water and sugar you can boil them in water one or more times to help reduce the bitterness. The final step of drying the peels is going to take a day or two so you need to keep that in mind when making the candied orange peels. 

For something that is so easy to make, these candied orange peels are addictively good! Candied orange peels are a citrus lovers heaven and you can candy pretty much any citrus fruits peel that you like. The crunchy sugary coating wraps around the soft, sweet pure orange flavour creating a pleasant contrast in texture. If you think that candied orange peels are good all by themselves, and they are, then you have to try dipping them into a melted dark chocolate coating. Chocolate and orange is one of those classic flavour combinations and this is one of the best examples of it that I have ever had! 

ingredients

• 3 oranges, navel work well
• 2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup sugar

directions

1. Cut the top and bottom from the orange.
2. Cut the peel each orange into 4 vertical pieces and remove from orange in one piece.
3. Cut the peel into thin strips.
4. Bring a pot of water to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook the peels in boiling water for 15 minutes, drain and rinse.
5. Bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat in a sauce pan.
6. Add the peel, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the peels are tender, about 45 minutes.
7. Drain and toss the peels in the sugar. Note: You want to drain the orange peels well. If you just throw them straight from the syrup into the sugar, the sugar will clump up. (Tip: Save the syrup and use it in ice tea.)
8. Place the peels on a cooling rack and let them sit until the coating is dry, anywhere from 24-48 hours.

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