Candied Peel

This is a fairly simple and straightforward recipe to make.

I had a bag of Satsuma Mandarin Oranges (but you can use any citrus fruit)

First juice the fruit. Cut them in half and squeeze the juice out. I have a juicer but a fork works just as well. I kept the juice for something else I was making.

The juice is good so you could just drink it if you choose to. I find juicing the fruit is the easiest way to get to the next step of cleaning off the peel.

Then Scrape out all halves of the leftover peel. You will want to get rid of the white pith as it will add a bitterness you don't want

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and put 1/4 to 1/2 c sugar on a small plate (this is optional)

Then get a sauce pan and add 1 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 c of water to it so it will be ready

Back to the peel... cut the peel into thin slices and then add the slices to the sugar and water. Give it a good stir to combine it all.

Turn the stove to medium low and and let it simmer while stirring occasionally until the peel is translucent.

If you are not using the additional sugar just scoop the peels out of the syrup and spread out on the lined baking sheet.

If you wish to continue on and make them more fun; scoop out some the peel (making sure to drain as much syrup off as you can) toss the peel around until coated and then spread on the baking sheet to dry. Continue coating the peels in small batches until all the peel is used up.

Let the candied peel cool and dry for at least 4 hours to overnight.

Enjoy as a fun sweet treat alone or use as a garnish for a dessert or drink.