tipheroYou'll think twice about tossing orange peels after trying this candied orange peel recipe.

tiphero.com/candied-orange-peel

Ingredients

4 navel or Valencia oranges
2 cups water, plus more for boiling
2-½ cups white granulated sugar, divided
½ cup dark chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Directions

Rinse the oranges.

Cut off the tops and bottoms of each orange, and score the skin into quarters.

Remove the peel, along with any pith that is attached. Slice the orange peel into ¼-inch-wide strips. If desired, trim any excess pith off using a paring knife.

Place the strips of orange peel in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat the saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat, drain the water from the peels, and repeat the boiling process twice more. Set the boiled orange peel aside.

Pour the 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar into a medium saucepan, and stir to combine. Bring the sugar water to a simmer.

Add the boiled strips of orange peel to the simmering sugar water and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer, until translucent. Avoid stirring, as this will encourage crystallization. If necessary, gently swirl the pan to make sure all the peels get covered with syrup.

Drain any remaining syrup from the orange peels. Spread the peels out on a baking sheet lined with lightly-greased wax paper or a silicon baking mat, and allow the peels to cool enough to handle.

Sprinkle the orange peels with the remaining ½ cup of sugar and toss to combine.

If desired, once the candied orange peel has cooled and dried, dip each piece in the melted chocolate and allow to cool on a parchment-lined baking pan until the chocolate is set.