All things that make up the holiday season are reminders of my childhood.
This jolly, peaceful time fills me with warm, fuzzy feelings that make me long for the past. Thus, every year at this time, I strive to engage in activities that take me back to those times that represented for me joy, peace, love, and hope. Food is always at the forefront of my mind, particularly during the holidays. What’s merrier and brighter for the holidays than homemade breads and sweets? Revisiting traditional holiday breads comes with multi-day preparations that really set the mood and tone for the season. The first prep for these sweet and indulgent holiday masterpieces involves a rather “healthy” component. Let’s learn “How to Make Candied Fruit Peels: Indulgence with Health Benefits”. Yum!!
What is more reminiscent of most people’s childhood than sugary, jelly candy made of pure sugar with a hint of fruit, aside from chocolate, of course. But think about it, most childhood sweets are just that. Homemade candied fruit peels taste just like those sugar-ladened kid treats, but they are fruit with a hint of sugar that’s just as sweet.
While it may seem that homemade candied fruit peels are exclusively American since their store-bought processed counterparts can be purchased almost anywhere, in truth, they are very worldly. They are ingredients in all sorts of sweet bakes from around the world particularly breads and cookies. In fact, these homemade candied fruit peels are going to end up in the German Stollen and the Italian Panettone recipes already on this site with updates and videos coming soon. It’s that time of year for all things sweet all over the world. Why not venture out of that holiday comfort zone and try a new recipe, particularly one with many homemade components and all of the seasonal flavors?
If you would like a visual of this recipe, see my newly uploaded video on “How to Make Candied Fruit Peels: Indulgence with Health Benefits!”
Here are the “How to Make Candied Fruit Peels: Indulgence with Health Benefits” highlights worth noting:
-Choose any combination of your preferred citrus fruits with a peel,
-Use a veggie peeler (zester) to cut thin peels WITHOUT the pith,
-OR score the exterior fruit with a knife and use your fingers to peel off the skin AND white pith,
-Trim off excess pith using a knife (if the pith is too thick for your liking),
-Use the leftover fruit in whatever capacity you choose,
-Boil peels in water for 15 minutes to reduce the bitterness of the pith; do this 2 times unless no pith, then just boil 1 time,
-Heat water and sugar until sugar dissolves and add peels to cook for 15 minutes,
-Remove a few peels at a time, drain, and coat in sugar for a crusty exterior and lay them out on a cooling rack to cool and dry,
-OR Remove a few peels at a time, drain, and lay them out on a cooling rack to cool and dry,
-Allow 1-2 days for complete drying (on the counter) and then store in a sealed container for a month (fridge) to many months (freezer),
-Thin peels without pith will be leatherlike,
-Thick peels with pith will be chewy and work well in baked goods after chopping,
-Save the fruit syrup (what I call liquid gold, AKA Fruit Loop Syrup) for sweetening beverages and providing a citrus flavor. Poor it over pancakes or waffles for that sweet, citrus topping. Add it to sparkling water or plain Kombucha for additional flavoring.
Potential Health Benefits of eating Homemade Candied Fruit Peels.
There are many health benefits from eating the fruit skins (peels) and the white pith. However, you should realize that after boiling them in water, some of the nutritional value will be lost in the discarded water. Nevertheless, there are still nutrients available with homemade candied fruit peels and are a much healthier option than store-bought fruit candy since you control the amount of sugar that is added.
Believe it or not, fruit peels and their white pith have MORE nutrients and health benefits than the fruit they surround. In fact, think of these pretty, colorful skins as armor for not only the fruit themselves but our bodies. Find ways to consume the whole fruit, not just the juicy, inner, fruit pulp. Adding fruit zest and making your own candied fruit are two easy palpable methods of preparing the whole fruit for consumption. You can also just eat it all as is! Not only that, but by eating the whole fruit, you limit food waste. Win, Win!!
Fruit Peels and Pith Nutritional Highlights:
– fiber rich that may help lower cholesterol,
– vitamins A, C, B5, and B6,
– calcium, folate, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamin,
– hesperidin (flavonoid) may help blood vessels function better and reduce inflammation,
– naringenin (flavonoid) is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that may help to reduce carbohydrate absorption and reduce rapid blood sugar rises,
– overall, the pith and peels are immune-boosting, cancer fighting, fiber rich, vitamin packed armor
Important note!!
It is highly recommended that you choose organic fruit for any fruit peel you intend to consume, whether it’s through zesting or any other method. Non-organic fruit is not free of pesticides or other chemicals that may be sprayed on or near the crop. The safest, cleanest fruit to this day is organic or homegrown where you know how the crop was treated. Also, buying locally or growing your own will ensure a safe product and provide more nutrients because produce begins to lose them as soon as they are cut or picked. And finally, clean, local eating ensures sustainable living for us and our environment.
Final Thoughts…
Bottom line: Buy organic for fruit you intend to eat the skin, eat the whole fruit for maximum health benefits, and find ways to prep the typically “inedible” parts so you can enjoy them. Don’t forget! Eating the whole fruit limits food waste and buying locally increases nutritional value as the fruit begins to lose it as soon as it is picked.
Homemade Candied Fruit Peels: Guiltless Candy!
Ingredients
- 4 oranges
- 1 grapefruit
- 2 lemons
- 2 limes
- 2 cups granulated sugar plus more for the final coating (optional)
- 1 cup water plus more for boiling the peels
Instructions
- For each citrus fruit, be sure to wash and clean it well. Slice off both ends. For thinner, pithless (leatherlike) peels, use a veggie peeler and just cut off the external colored skin in 1/4 inch strips. For chewy peels best used chopped in baked breads and cookies, use a knife to score and peel by hand. Simply score each fruit into sections from end to end (attempt 1/4 inch strips). Use your fingers and peel off the rind (peel and pith) into strips (based on your scoring sections.) You can cut off more pith, if you choose. You can also cut the strips into narrower strips after you've peeled them off the fruit. Store the peeled fruits into sealed containers or bags in the fridge and use for anything else.
- In a large saucepan, place all peelings and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Boiling the peels helps to remove the bitter pith flavor.
- After 15 minutes of boiling, pour the peels into a colander and drain over the sink. Rinse well and place them all back into the large saucepan. Repeat by covering with water, boiling for 15 minutes, draining, and rinsing. You will likely need to do this 2 times unless you use thinner strips without pith. If no pith, just boil, rinse, and drain once. Place the boiled, rinsed, and drained peels into a large bowl and set aside.
- To the same large saucepan, add 1 cup of fresh water and 2 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Add the fruit peels and simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally to create a fruity syrup.
- In a medium bowl or pan, add some sugar to coat the peels.
- Use tongs to remove some of the peels from the syrup. Allow the syrup to drain off and then place them in the bowl of sugar. Toss to coat. Shake off any excess sugar and place the peels individually onto a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet (to allow for additional draining). Continue this process with all of the peelings adding more sugar as needed to coat.
- You may find the peels to be sweet enough without the extra sugar coating. If so, skip the sugar coating step and place the peels from the syrup on the cooling racks over a cookie sheet to dry.
- Leave the cooling racks over the cookie sheets on the counter. It will likely take 1-2 days to dry completely. Once the peels are dry, store them in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for a month. For prolonged freshness, store them in the fridge for a month or longer and in the freezer for a couple of months.
Video
Notes
Looking for bread bakes that incorporate homemade candied fruit peels? Check out my older posts with additional blogs and videos coming soon of updates for both of these recipes!
Interested in kitchen tips?
How to Bring Butter and Eggs to Room Temperature Quickly
Prepping and Storing Fresh Herbs
What are Fennel and Leek, Really?
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