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Candied orange peel is a classic treat often eaten around Christmas time. We've turned these festive favourites into creative Christmas tree decorations by popping them into cellophane gift bags and finishing with a festive ribbon. It may take a while for these treats to cook but they're definitely worth the wait. You can drizzle or dip them in dark chocolate for a naughty twist
Ingredients
- 4 oranges
- 950ml water
- 500g caster sugar, plus more for dusting
- Cellophane gift bags (Lakeland)
- Ribbon or string (Hobbycraft)
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Prepare the oranges by cutting off the skin using a sharp knife. Slice the peel into thin stripes approximately ½” thick.
- Pour the water and the sugar into a large saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil. Add in the orange peel and continue to boil for 5 mins. Turn the heat down and simmer until the sugar begins to form a syrup. This could take up to 2hrs
- Once its reached a syrup-like state, take off of the heat and place to one side. Remove the orange pieces by draining with a colander.
- Preheat the oven 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and line a deep dished baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Pour the orange pieces onto the baking tray and cover with a generous helping of caster sugar. Pop into the oven and leave to warm for about 1hr, checking every now and then to make sure they're not burning.
- Once all the sugar has disappeared take the orange pieces out of the oven and leave to cool. Take a handful of the peel and add to a cellophane gift bag and tie with a bow.
Top Tip for making Candied orange peel decorations
You could try this recipe with lemons too!

Rosie is an experienced food and drinks journalist who has spent over a decade writing about restaurants, cookery, and foodie products. Previously Content Editor at Goodto.com and Digital Food Editor on Woman&Home, Rosie is well used to covering everything from food news through to taste tests. Now, as well as heading up the team at SquareMeal - the UK's leading guide to restaurants and bars - she also runs a wedding floristry business in Scotland called Lavender and Rose.
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