Candied Orange Peels Make A Sweet Festive Homemade Gift

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Candied Orange Peels are an absolute delight and a perfect festive homemade gift idea. Simply made using just three ingredients – oranges, water, and sugar this old-fashioned treat represents Christmas of years gone by.

This post is part of Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) – a series of festive recipes, crafts, printables, and more on The Purple Pumpkin Blog!

A bowl filled with candied orange peel slices. Text overlay says"Candied Orange Peels - Best Homemade Gift Idea". Similar photos of the recipe from various angles are used throughout but with different text overlays unless otherwise described.

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Candied Orange Peels

The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.

I really enjoy giving homemade edible gifts for the holidays. In a world where many of us have too much stuff, I hate just buying more stuff just because it is Christmas or other festivities.

This recipe for candied orange peels is quite simple and yields a sweet treat full of orange flavor. To make them extra fancy you could dip them in melted chocolate!


The Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog is filled with free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays! You can check out Create the Holidays from 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016201520142013 and 2012  for tons of awesome Holiday ideas and inspiration!

Fresh Oranges

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.

It may not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, etc., as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).

Candied Orange Peels

More Recipes Using Oranges

The hero ingredient in this dish is orange, so here are some more recipes using the same:

More Edible Gift Recipes

Looking for more homemade gifts to make? Check these recipes out next:

Candied Orange Peels

Recipe Tips

  • For best results, leave some of the white pith on each orange peel. If the pith is too thick, carefully remove some of the excess with a sharp knife prior to boiling.
  • Store the reserved orange syrup in the refrigerator to add flavor to your favorite beverages and cocktails, such as iced tea, club soda, or mixed drinks.

How Do I Make Candied Orange Peels?

Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Candied Orange Peel Recipe

Candied Orange Peels

Yield: 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Candied Orange Peels are an absolute delight and a perfect festive homemade gift idea. They need up to 24 hours to dry.

Ingredients

  • 4 large organic oranges
  • 6 cups water, divided
  • 2½ cups white granulated sugar, divided

Instructions

  1. Thoroughly wash and dry the oranges, then cut off the tops and bottoms of each. Score the orange peel from top to bottom with a sharp knife to create 4 or 5 large sections.
  2. Carefully remove each section with some of the pith and cut it into ¼-inch sections. Set aside.
  3. Bring five cups of water to a rapid boil in a large saucepan. Add the orange peels and return to a boil for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse the peels thoroughly before shaking out the excess liquid. Set aside.
  4. Add one cup of water and two cups of sugar to the same saucepan and set the heat to medium. Stir the mixture occasionally until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
  5. Add the boiled orange peels and increase heat to medium-high to boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes.
  6. Remove from the heat and drain, reserving both the orange-flavored syrup and the orange peels*. Transfer the peels to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside to dry for 12 hours to overnight.

    Orange Peel on Wire Rack
  7. Once the peels are mostly dry, but still a bit tacky, add the remaining sugar to a large Ziploc storage bag and add the peels a few at a time. Seal and shake the bag carefully until the peels are uniformly coated in sugar. Repeat this process with the remaining peels until all are uniformly coated in sugar.

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  8. Serve the candied peels immediately as a snack, or use as a delicious garnish for ice cream, cupcakes, or cakes. They also make a wonderful addition to homemade cannoli filling. Unused orange peels can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. Enjoy!

    Candied Orange Peel Recipe

Notes

  • For best results, leave some of the white pith on each orange peel. If the pith is too thick, carefully remove some of the excess with a sharp knife prior to boiling.
  • *Store the reserved orange syrup in the refrigerator to add flavor to your favorite beverages and cocktails, such as iced tea, club soda, or mixed drinks.

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Make It A Holiday Dinner!

These candied orange peels could be enjoyed with coffee after dinner, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a holiday dinner party!

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.


The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016201520142013, and 2012.

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