Cirtus Yummy Peels

Alright so I had to really research this one. I went to a few different sites like here and here for way to make citrus peels, but it always seemed when making them most people had trouble with the grapefruit. After a few tries here is what I did to make the yummy holiday candies

Candied Citrus Peel

4 grapefruit rinds (or equivalent in citrus fruit of your choice)

5.5 cups sugar (divided use)2 cups water
Melted chocolate (optional)

Flavoring (lemon is great for this)

Scrape all of the flesh and membranes from the fruit rind, this is very important with the grapefruit, you don't have to do this with the oranges. Make sure to leave the pith intact. Slice the rind into half inch slices and place into a pan large enough to hold it plus an inch of water. Cover with clean water. Bring water to a boil and boil for a minute or two then drain. Repeat a total of five times until the rinds are very tender. Leave in a colander to drain well.
While the peel is draining, mix together four cups of sugar and the 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and continue to heat until the mixture is clear. If you wish, you can drop flavorings such as cinnamon, cardamom, or vanilla into the sugar syrup to flavor the final product.

Using several layers of paper towels or a kitchen towel, press the rinds to extract as much water as is easily possible without smashing them. Once the syrup is clear, drop in the drained peel. Make sure that there is enough syrup to allow all of the rinds to be in contact with it. If there isn't make a half batch of syrup in another pot and ladle over the top.

Bring syrup and rind to a boil and reduce heat to very low. Cover and allow to simmer until the rinds become translucent and jewel like (almost like colored glass). Stir occasionally. This takes about an hour.

Remove the rinds to baking sheets lined with parchment and allow to dry over night. Take your reserve cup and a half of sugar and put in your food processor, whirring it until it is the consistency of fine sand. This step is not strictly necessary but creates a better finished product. Take the slightly tacky pieces of candied rind and toss them in the sugar until thoroughly covered. This step is very important here, it helps make them harder and sweeter. Shake off gently and return to the cookie sheets. Allow to dry for a further 2-4 hours before placing in an airtight container for storage.
















Optionally instead of covering the rinds in sugar you can dip them in chocolate and allow to
harden.