Candied Lemon Peel

🧂 Ingredients

• 5 large lemons
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

  (divided into 1 cup and ½ cup portions)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• 1 Start by washing and scrubbing your lemons gently with a vegetable brush. Then,
  peel them from top to bottom into roughly 2-4" segments with a vegetable peeler
  (be sure to press firmly so you get an even segment of peel). You can candy the
  large segments, or slice them into thinner strips about ¼" thick, if desired.
• 2 Pour the water, 1 cup of sugar, and salt into a saucepan and heat it over medium
  heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until all of the sugar has
  dissolved.
• 3 Next, add the lemon peels. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, reducing heat as needed to
  prevent a rolling boil. You want to simmer them long enough that they become
  tender but not so long that they lose their bright yellow color. Give them a
  stir occasionally to make sure all pieces are exposed to the simple syrup.
• 4 Remove the pan from heat and pour in the vanilla. Give it a quick stir to
  combine, then let the lemon peels sit in the syrup for 5 minutes to absorb all
  the flavor. Meanwhile, put a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet or
  parchment paper.
• 5 Once the 5 minutes are up, transfer the lemon peels to the wire rack to dry for
  20-30 minutes. Then toss them in sugar to coat.
• 6 Put the sugar-covered lemon peels back on the cooling rack and let them dry at
  room temperature for up to 24 hours (until they are no longer sticky to the
  touch). Once they have dried, store or serve them as desired.

Nutrition Info