Sweet and Sour Candied Citrus

Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Candied Citrus

Think Sour Patch Kids, but made from slices of citrus. The final product is a little chewy, wonderfully citrusy, and coated in sweet and sour candy coating that keeps you coming back for more.

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Yield15 slices

Prep10

Cook1 5

Dry1

Total1 1 15

Ingredients

2-3 lemons, limes, or oranges

First Boil Ingredients

8 cups water
½ teaspoon or 1 teaspoon baking soda, (see instructions or notes)
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Water plus ice for an ice bath

Second Boil Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Coating Ingredients

½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons citric acid

Equipment

1 knife
1 cutting board
Food processor with slicer attachment (see notes for other slicing options)
1 large pot
Measuring spoons
1 medium/large bowl
1 spider or slotted spoon
1 12" (30.5cm) or larger saucepan or wide-bottomed pot
measuring Cups
1 fork
aluminum foil
1 wire cooling rack
parchment paper

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Instructions

So, here’s the deal, each of the three citruses I tested — lemon, lime, and orange — have either a different boiling solution or boiling time. To make sure that everything is easy to follow, I’ve written the recipe for oranges and given additional information in the recipe instructions and again in the notes. This way, nothing gets overlooked.
Okay, let’s get started.
First, clean your choice of citrus by giving the rind a good scrub. Then slice a bit off one end of each fruit, to create a flat surface for slicing. Using the slicer disc and large chute on a food processor (more slicing options in notes and FAQ) cut between 12 and 20 even slices, all about ⅙ in (4mm) thick. Remove any seeds you see from the slices and set them aside.
Next, pour 8 cups (1.9L) of water into a pot on your stovetop. Then add in the salt and ½ tsp (2.8g) of baking soda* and stir them to combine. (Lemons also use ½ tsp or 2.8g per 8 cups of water. Limes use 1 teaspoon or 5.5g ) Turn on the burner to medium high heat and bring everything to a rolling boil.
While the water is heating up, fill a medium sized bowl roughly ⅓ of the way with ice; then add water until the ice floats about 2in (5.08cm) from the bottom of the bowl. Give the ice and water a good mix to make sure it's very cold.
Now that the water is boiling, add the orange slices to the water using a spider or slotted spoon. Let them boil for 3 minutes*. (Lemons boil for 3½ minutes and limes boil for 5-5½ minutes) Take the slices out gently and place them directly into the ice bath to stop any carryover cooking and preserve color. If all the ice melts while you are blanching, just add more to the bowl.
Let the slices sit in the ice water for 3-5minutes. Then, take them out of the water, pat them dry, and set them aside.
On the stove top, add 1 cup (205g) of sugar and 1 cup water (240ml) by volume to a 12in (30.5cm) sauté or fry pan. Turn the burner to medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Once dissolved, turn the heat to low and add in the citrus slices. Let them simmer for 60 minutes, flipping them once with a fork during the process.
Before the slices are done, prep a baking sheet by covering it with aluminum foil and setting a cooling rack on top of it. Turn off the burner, take the slices out of the syrup and lay them on the rack to dry. They will need 24-48 hours to dry enough for the coating. You’re looking for the slices to be just slightly tacky and sturdy enough to hold up without immediately folding over.
Mix ½ cup (102g) of granulated sugar with the citric acid and then coat the orange slices. Enjoy your sour patch citrus when done. :)

Notes

A mandolin slicer is a good second option, if you don’t have a food processor with a slicer attachment. You can also slice with a knife, but it’s very difficult to get even slices. Make sure your knives are sharp if you decide to go this route. Citrus is round and a dull knife is more likely to catch instead of cutting through them.
Make sure to use citrus that feels tight and not soft or over ripe. This may be the only case where you want to choose citrus that feels like the peel is thicker and more textured.
Blanching (boiling and cooling) the citrus removes the bitterness from the pith, please don’t skip this step.
- Oranges: ½ tsp (2.8g) baking soda and 3 minutes for the first boil
- Lemons: ½ tsp (2.8g) baking soda and 3½ minutes for the first boil
- Limes: 1 tsp (5.5g) baking soda and 5 to 5½ minutes for the first boil
This recipe is scalable. Double or triple it if you want to make more slices at one time. Make sure to use your widest pan or pot for the second (simple syrup) boil.
Store candied citrus slices in an airtight container, sandwiched between layers of wax or parchment paper. They can be kept for 1 month on your countertop or several months in your fridge.
I’ve noticed the sourness of the coating begins mellow over time. So, be aware, they may need a re-coat.
Skip the coating or just use sugar if you want these sweet. You can also dip or drizzle them in chocolate for a decadent variation.

Nutrition