Candied Orange Peels

You may recall that I bought a bunch of oranges. A whole bunch. I mean, a lot. So, what to do with some of them? Candy their peels of course! The peels keep for several months in the freezer and can be eaten alone, dipped in chocolate or in any number of recipes. Here's how I did it.

1) Peel 4-6 small/medium oranges.

2) Cut the peels into 1/4 inch strips.
3) Cover the peels with cold water and bring to a boil.
4) Drain and repeat two more times.
5) Bring 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of liquid to a boil. (I used the juice from the peeled oranges and made up the difference with water.
6) Once the syrup reaches soft ball stage (~220 deg F) add the peels.
7) Reduce heat and let simmer until the peels are translucent.
8) Remove peels to wax or parchment paper-covered baking sheet. (If you desire, roll the peels in sugar when you remove them from the syrup. This will help prevent them from sticking together.)
9) Let cool completely.
10) Store in airtight container.

These are great combination of the sweetness of the sugar and the slight bitterness of the rind. I plan on dipping some in chocolate eventually. Yum! I also have a recipe for cookies that use these that I hope to try. I'll post that when I get it accomplished.

 If you're really feeling sassy, keep boiling the leftover syrup to the hard crack stage and make rock candy. Just don't let it burn. Which I did. It was not tasty...