Candied Orange Peels

Recipe Status: Long standing tradition at Christmas time. My favorite is dipping each piece in high quality dark chocolate. Mmmm.

Peels of 3 oranges

2 cups water

2 cups sugar, divided

Cut the tops and bottoms off the oranges. Cut the peel in four vertical lines, like you're quartering the orange, and remove the 4 pieces from the orange. Cut each piece into thin strips.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and boil the orange peels for 15 minutes. Boiling it in water reduces the bitterness of the rind. If desired, drain and boil in fresh water a second time. Drain and rinse.

Bring 2 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil over medium heat. Add the peel, reduce heat to med-low, and simmer until the peels are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, and toss or roll peels in remaining cup of sugar.

Place peels on a cooling rack and let them sit until sugar coating is dry. Usually it takes about a day, sometimes 2.

If desired, dip each piece in dark chocolate, or lay a bunch of pieces on wax paper and drizzle chocolate on the bunch. Or eat as is. Delicious.

This is also exceptionally tasty with grapefruit rinds.