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closeup of chocolate covered candied citrus peel on a pale blue background with a small pot of chocolate and extra orange peels on the side

Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange, Grapefruit or Lemon Peel

Print Recipe
These little citrus strips make a perfect ending to a meal with shortbread cookies and strong coffee. Or skip the chocolate and dice into biscotti dough or use as a garnish on a lemon or orange cake.
Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert
Cuisine American
Seasonal Christmas, Holiday season, New Year's Eve, spring, Valentine's Day, winter
Ingredient chocolate, Citrus
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting 10 hours
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 organic lemons or 2 organic oranges or 1 organic grapefruit
  • 2 cups sugar divided

For the chocolate dip

  • 6 oz high quality white or dark chocolate chopped into small pieces, divided

Instructions

  • Spray a cooling rack with vegetable oil and place it over a sheet pan.
  • Make four slits along the length of each citrus fruit from end to end, cutting through the peel but not into the flesh. Using your fingers, gently peel the skin from the fruit and reserve it for another use. Cut the peel into thin strips, about 1/4-in.
  • Transfer the peel to a saucepan and cover with cold water.
  • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Drain, cover with fresh water and repeat the process again.
  • Drain and rinse the peel.
  • Bring 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar dissolves.
  • Add the drained peel to the syrup, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the peel is very tender and looks translucent, about 40 minutes.
  • Scoop the peel from the syrup with a fork and transfer it to the prepared rack to catch the drips.
  • Dry the peel for about 30 minutes, then dredge in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. This helps to keep the peel from sticking to each other.
  • Lay it out on a parchment-lined pan and allow the peel to dry overnight.

For the chocolate dip, (Tempering your chocolate will allow it to firm up at room temperature. It will also be shinier and prettier.):

  • Melt 5 oz of the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Be sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Don’t walk away from it. Just stand there and stir.
  • Once the chocolate is half melted, remove the bowl from the pan of water and continue to stir it on the countertop. It will begin to cool but the chocolate will continue to melt.
  • Once the chocolate is melted, continue to stir in the remaining small chunks of chocolate to cool it down. Stir gently until the chocolate is cool and no longer melts. You can fish out any unmelted chunks.
  • Dip the peel halfway into the chocolate and lay it on a parchment-lined sheet pan to firm up. Once the chocolate is firm (about 1 hour) you can package it up or store it for future use.

Notes

Note: The candied, chocolate-dipped peel can be stored at room temperature for up to three weeks.