I used to love those candy orange slices you could get in the Brach’s candy section of most grocery stores (what ever happened to the Brach’s candy section?). You know the ones I’m talking about – the neon orange, sticky sweet, rolled in sugar, orange-segment shaped, jelly-like candies?
Well, this is like the grown-up version of that – huge orange flavor, sweet and sticky, sandy on the outside, with just a slight bitter finish (kind of like orange marmalade). And it’s sooooo much better than those fake orange-shaped candies! Step by step instructions to follow:
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- Ingredients: 1 cup sugar, the peel of two large oranges, 1-2 drops of orange extract, 3/4 cup water
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- Begin by cutting the top and bottom off of two oranges.
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- Then make 5 or 6 vertical slices into the skin.
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- Carefully peel the rind off the orange, taking care not to break or tear it.
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- I trimmed the excess pith off the inside (just the rough stuff that was right next to the orange segments), but this is not necessary.
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- Cut the peel segments into uniform matchsticks.
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- Blanch in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
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- Drain the blanched peel, add it back to the pan along with 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water and a couple of drops of orange extract. Let simmer for about an hour, covered. Let cool in the syrup.
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- Roll the individual strips in granulated sugar.
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- Let them dry on a rack.
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- Package them up to give as a gift, or use them as decoration on baked goods, or dip them in melted semi-sweet chocolate, or just enjoy them as-is.
I actually used half of this recipe to top an Ultra Orange Cake that I made for some friends.\
Originally published Feb 2010.