Candied Meyer Lemon Peel

It’s over 2 weeks into January so it’s ok for me to post desserts again, right? We’ve had time to recover from indulging over the holidays and work on New Year’s resolutions. (If you’re still working on healthy eating and exercise resolutions, check out my post on healthy snacks and enter a giveaway to win a year membership to a new fitness website that lets you stream workout videos anywhere you are!)

Let’s ease into things with something sort of healthy: Meyer lemon peels turned into candy. (Which I may or may not have used to top lemon cupcakes – you’ll just have to wait and see what I post later this week…)

Ignore the fact that I dipped some in chocolate. There’s lots of Vitamin C in the peel, which makes this a healthy-ish dessert…right?

See, you can leave it plain too. Either way, they’re delicious. Blanching the peels (cooking them briefly in boiling water) 3 times removes the bitter flavor of the pith. It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s really easy to put them in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, then dump the water and repeat. Then you cook them in simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) and roll them in granulated sugar. You’re left with a chewy, sweet and crunchy treat that has a great lemon flavor.

Did you make any resolutions? How are you doing with the changes? I didn’t make any major resolutions this year but last year I gave up sugar for a month and the year before I started this blog as a way to get myself to cook more and try new foods.

Recipe:

Candied Meyer Lemon Peels

  • 3 organic Meyer lemons, rinsed and dried (you can use regular lemons too)
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
  • Semi-sweet chocolate (optional)
  1. Cut lemons in half and juice (reserve for other use, like vegan Meyer lemon cupcakes or limoncello & Meyer lemon cupcakes). Using a sharp paring knife, remove flesh from skin and discard (leave white pith attached to peel). Slice peel into strips.
  2. Place strips into a saucepan and fill with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Drain water and repeat two more times.
  3. After draining the last batch of water, place peels aside. Combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved and reduce heat to medium-low. Add peel strips and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and transparent, about 15-20 minutes. Drain (reserve liquid for other use – this lemon simple syrup can be used to sweeten drinks or desserts).
  4. Pour remaining sugar in a bowl and toss strips until coated with sugar. Place coated strips onto a sheet of wax paper and let dry overnight (if you’re impatient, you can dry it in a 200°F oven for an hour, checking frequently).
  5. If you want to cover in chocolate: once peels feel dry to touch, dip in melted chocolate and let dry on wax paper.
  6. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

7 Comments on Candied Meyer Lemon Peel

  1. Danica
    January 17, 2012 at 1:11 pm (12 years ago)

    Chocolate is healthy itself! Studies have shown that eating between 1 and 3 ounces of dark chocolate a day prevents strokes, and helps the fewer people who DO have strokes heal from them faster. And it’s full of antioxidants. If anything, it makes sugar-soaked items HEALTHIER, right? Damn straight 😀

    Reply
  2. Ann
    January 21, 2012 at 7:32 pm (12 years ago)

    This is absolutely stunning! I remember when the first time I had chocolate dipped candied orange peel. It was one of the most amazing flavors and such a delicious experience!
    Ann recently posted Asian Noodle Slaw

    Reply
    • Stephanie
      January 21, 2012 at 8:33 pm (12 years ago)

      @Ann – thank you! It’s amazing how good a peel can be, isn’t it? Something we throw away without even thinking.

  3. Colleen clancy
    December 15, 2013 at 8:15 am (10 years ago)

    I made these today for my friend’s 40th birthday-they are gorgeous and delicious, and 5 minutes into party they are gone!

    Reply

2Pingbacks & Trackbacks on Candied Meyer Lemon Peel

  1. […] a satisfying dessert that won’t leave you feeling weighed down. I garnished them with candied Meyer lemon peels for an extra lemon punch. You can make this with regular lemons too, and I’m sure it would […]

  2. […] hybrids, which are sweeter than regular lemons. I’ve used them in vegan lemon cupcakes, candied their peels, and used them with limoncello to make […]

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