Sweet Candied Orange and Lemon Peel

"Ok, I have now made this recipe about 6 times, and after playing around I think I perfected it. TIPS: use a veg peeler -- not the whole rind. I learned that the hard way. When laying it out to dry o..." See moren racks, DO NOT dredge in sugar!!! It just gets all caked on and looks gross. Just lay it out as is. Dry for about 12 hours (overnight -- no less than 12hrs.) and when it it still a little tacky to the touch, put a handful in a zip top baggy, THEN add a tablespoon or so of sugar and shake gently. Add another handful and another T. of sugar... Repeat until all of the peel is in the bag and lightly covered in sugar. Done this way they come out very pretty dusted in sugar, and nice and tender to bite into. Perfect! "

"Here is a bitter,sweet trick. Put the peels in the sugar/water and simmer to 230 degrees F.or soft thread,this makes it less bitter,then roll in sugar,let dry,dip half in melted choclate and then in a..." See more little flaked coconut. make great for x-mas. YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE IT."

"I made this recipe for my mother. And then found out these (formerly) creepy things were no relation to the awful peel found in fruitcake, a pleasant surprise - they really have a fresh fruity flavor,..." See more no bitterness at all. I washed fruit before cutting up. Then boiled about 15 minutes, changed water and repeated twice. I used 3 oranges, 1 grapefruit, 2 lemons and (after listening to my brother) 2 limes. The limes were quite difficult to get the pulp out since they were tiny and firm, pieces were much smaller than others. I think I would look for softer fruit if I decided to use lime again. But they added nice color to the mix, even though they lost their bright green color, they still were pretty. Because I used more fruit, I increased syrup recipe by 50%, could've gone to twice the recipe as it barely covered the peels. My brother said Grandma used a plate to keep peel submerged, but I didn't trust a plate in boiling syrup, so just pressed occasionally with slotted spoon. I also threw in a good handful of dried cranberries, they turned out beautiful. Now I have a ton of candied fruit drying on my table, it made a cookie sheet full about 1/2 - 3/4" deep (will separate later for better drying). It was very labor intensive, but did part Saturday and finished Sunday. All in all, a very successful adventure. "