SUGAR COATED

This has become one of my favorite fall traditions... Candied Citrus Rinds. Just make sure you allow enough time for making these. The total time to make this size batch was about 5 hours. (depends on how many lemons you want to use.)

The brown nuts in the back jar are the Macadamia Nuts from our tree. I plan on roasting those in the next week.

By the way... the brown nuts in the back jar are the Macadamia Nuts from our tree. I plan on roasting those in the next week.
I started with about 30 large lemons. I juiced them all and will freeze some of the juice. I will make lemonade with the rest. Use the leftover syrup from the candy to sweeten the lemonade.

Making the candy is fairly easy to do, except for the removing of the pith. That is not all that hard, but it is very time consuming.

First, place the entire rind after you have juiced them into water and boil with 1 tablespoon salt for 15 minutes until the pith is just softened. The salt helps to soften as well as remove the bitterness. Do not over cook or you will end up with mush.

Run under cold water and allow to cool. Cut rind into 1" rings then cut those in half so you have half circles. Lay skin side down and run a very sharp paring knife between the pith and the skin. The pith is the dry white part lining the citrus. Work carefully. Cut those strips into 1/4" strips and place in a pot of water. Boil for 30 minutes, drain and boil once more for 30 minutes. This removes the salt.

Next, take 3 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar and bring to a boil to make a syrup. Adjust to the size batch you are making.
Add cooked peels which look pale yellow and are very soft. Simmer about 45 minutes stirring occasionally... you do not want this to scorch. The peels should now be somewhat transparent and firm... from all the sugar. Remove from heat and cover. Allow to stand at least 2-3 hours, but I allow mine to stand overnight.

Remove peels from syrup with a slotted spoon and place in a mesh strainer over a bowl to allow syrup to drain. Then spread on a cookie sheet. Place in 175 degree oven and dry for about 10 minutes.

Divide into small groups and place in a covered bowl or bag and toss with 2 tablespoons superfine bakers sugar until evenly coated. If not enough sugar add a little more until desired coating is achieved.

If too wet or too much sugar, the sugar will clump instead of dust the surface.Below are 2 images that show just the right amount and too much sugar.

TOO MUCH.

JUST RIGHT.

Place back on cookie sheet and dry in 175 degree oven for another 20 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and store in airtight container. These can be stored in the fridge for several weeks. Bring to room temp before serving. I have never frozen a batch of the full rinds until now. I'll keep you posted as to how they come out.

I like these dipped in dark chocolate but with did not have any chocolate on hand. This was last falls batch. You could lay them all out on a cookie sheet and drizzle with the chocolate as well which would take a lot less time. I will be adding some chocolate as soon as I make it to town.

**** Save the syrup that boils down (now lemon flavored) and store it in the fridge where it will last quite a long time. You can use it to make your lemonade or add it to tea. You will also end up with some very tiny pieces that were broken off during all the cooking. You can freeze these and use them later in cookies, cakes, breads or granola.