• Wash the oranges.
  2 large oranges
• Use a vegetable peeler to peel the oranges and then slice the peel into strips that are around 1/2cm thick (1/4”). Press the peeler into the orange firmly to get a nice even layer.

  Note: Peel the oranges from top to bottom in straight strips, rather than around the orange in a circular fashion. We use a peeler rather than a knife to reduce the amount of pith attached since the pith has a bitter taste to it. If you get excess pith on any of your pieces of peel, trim it off with a knife.
• Add the slices of peel to a saucepan and cover with around 200ml of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the peel and rinse in fresh water.

  Note: Don’t skip this step of boiling the peels in water and then rinsing them, this reduces the bitterness.
  400 ml water
• Add the peel back to the saucepan with 200ml water and 200g sugar. Bring the water to the boil and then simmer gently for 30 mins until the peel is soft.
  275 g white sugar
• Remove a piece of peel with a slotted spoon and, when cool enough, taste it. If the peel is still bitter, keep boiling for another 5-10 minutes before tasting again.
• Once there is no bitterness remaining in the peel, remove the peel from the saucepan using a slotted spoon and spread it out on a cooling rack for 10 minutes to let the peel air dry a little.

  Note: Keep the orange sugar syrup, it’s delicious in cocktails and drizzled on pancakes!
• Spread the peel out on a rimmed baking tray. Sprinkle over the remaining 75g of sugar and toss to coat.
• To fully dry the peel, spread it back out on the cooling rack and set it aside in a cool, dry place for at least 24 hours. You can enjoy it sooner than that, but don't put it into a jar or container before it is properly dry.
• Store the candied orange peel in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To coat the peel in chocolate:

• If you’d like to coat the peel in chocolate, start by melting 50g dark chocolate. To do this, break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

  Note: Try not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the simmering water in the saucepan.
  50 g dark vegan chocolate
• Alternatively, add the chocolate to a microwave-safe dish and microwave the chocolate in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until the chocolate is melted.
• Dip the candied peel in the melted chocolate and then place it on a tray lined with parchment paper (or a wire rack) until the chocolate has fully set. You can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process if you like.