How to Candy Tangerines

Tangerine peels make thin, delicate pieces of candy.

Tangerines, the small, thin skinned cousin of the orange, are good for many of the same purposes as other citrus fruits, such as juicing and candying. Candying is the process of cooking the peels of the fruit in a syrup then coating them in granulated sugar to make sweet, natural treats. The peel of a tangerine is very bitter and tart, so candying the peel requires an extra process called blanching. This involves multiple boilings to release the unpleasant taste from the peel. You can candy tangerines at home with some patience and little bit of care.

Things You'll Need

• 5 tangerines
• Sharp knife
• Bowl
• Pot
• Colander
• Sugar
• Grease
• Wire rack
• Cookie sheet

Instructions

1. Cut the tangerines in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, then squeeze them out into a bowl. Keep squeezing the tangerines until no more juice or seeds come out.

2. Place the juiced tangerines into a pot of cold water so they are covered and bring the pot to a boil. Spill out the boiled water, then replace it with more cold water and bring the tangerines to a boil again. Repeat once more, but leave the third batch of water in the pot instead of draining once it starts to boil.

3. Allow the tangerines to simmer until they are just soft. This can take 20 to 45 minutes, so stay nearby the pot after 20 minutes. When the pith, or soft white skin inside the tangerine peel comes away easily from the peel, the tangerines are finished.

4. Drain the soft peels in a colander and allow them to cool until you can touch them easily.

   Scrape off the pith from the peel, then cut them into 1/4 inch wide strips. Be careful not to tear the peel when removing the pith.

5. Add 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to the water and stir to combine. Bring the sugar water to a boil, then add the strips of tangerine peels. Allow the peels to cook in the syrup until they are translucent in appearance.

6. Grease a wire cooking rack and place it on top of a cookie sheet. Pour the syrup-covered peels onto the greased rack and allow the excess syrup to drain off onto the cookie sheet.

7. Pour 1 cup of sugar into a bowl and place the drained peels into the bowl. Shake the bowl gently to move the peels around until they are covered in sugar. Remove the peels from the bowl and store in a container.

Tips & Warnings

• Strain and save tangerine juice in the fridge until you are ready to drink it.

• Do not leave the peels unattended when cooking in the syrup because they could burn accidentally.

References

• Wesler Orchards: Citrus Info
• Deestroyer: Candied Tangerine Peels