Why are my candied lemon slices bitter?

In order to get the bitterness out of the peel, you will need to boil the pieces multiple times and each time must start with fresh water . That's to remove any bitterness that the boiling water extracts. Once the boiling is finished, you'll make a simple syrup out of water and sugar.

What can I substitute for lemon slices?

Other citrus fruit like limes make a great substitute for lemons in many dishes, both sweet and savory, including marinades, sauces, and desserts. To substitute limes for lemons, you can use a 1:1 ratio for both the juice and zest.

How do you make candied lemons less bitter?

If you find that your candied lemons are too bitter, you can blanch them first to soften the rinds and remove some (if not all) of the bitterness . To do this, bring a pot of water to boil and drop the sliced lemons in. Boil for only one minute, then remove them to an ice bath for 30 seconds to stop the cooking.

Can you use yogurt instead of butter?

If the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt . However, yogurt tends to increase the moisture content in a recipe, and as such, bakers suggest only using yogurt in place of recipes that call for 1 cup or less of butter.

What oil can I substitute for lemon?

Lemon Aromatic Substitute Want to experience that invigorating, crisp aroma of a freshly squeezed lemon, but you just ran out of your Lemon oil? No worries! You can use Lemongrass or Citronella oil for that familiar lemony scent.

How do you dry lemon slices naturally?

Place the citrus slices in a single layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake them at 170 degrees F (yes, very low) until they're completely dried out . Cool & enjoy. Let the citrus rounds cool on a wire rack, then use them on desserts, in co*cktails and mocktails, or even as decoration!

Are candied lemons bitter?

If you're worried about bitter candied lemon, you can blanch your sliced lemons before simmering them in the simple syrup, and this should eliminate the possibility of any remaining bitterness. Candied lemon should be sweet, chewy, and delicious!

Are preserved lemons supposed to be bitter?

While raw lemon peel and pith can be bitter, preserved lemon peel has a concentrated tang . The peel is perfectly edible—in fact, it's the prized part of the fruit, with many discarding the flesh even though it's not strictly necessary.

Why is my candied peel bitter?

A couple of those compounds, naringin and limonin, are the main contributors to bitterness in oranges. The reason blanching works so well is that both of those bitter compounds are soluble in hot water. This means the bitterness will leech out of the orange peel and dissolve into the pot of hot water.

What causes bitter lemons?

Bitterness is mainly caused by the accumulation of two different chemical compounds: limonin from the limonoid terpine group and naringin from the flavonoid phenolic group in the fruit tissues . The highest concentrations of the bitter compounds are generally found in immature fruits.

candied lemon slices recipe – use real butter (2024)

LiveSTRONG and kick ass

Recipe: candied lemon slices

*************

Despite being insanely busy and turning down a lot of fun, exciting opportunities and events this month (only because I’m doing a ton of other fun, exciting things already!), I promised myself that I would participate in Barbara‘s annual LiveSTRONG: With a Taste of Yellow event. This is important to me, not because I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, but because I know a lot of people who had or have cancer. I have lost beautiful friends and family to cancer. And just last night, I learned that someone who saved my life is fighting for his own right now – fighting cancer. Barbara holds this food and wine blogging event each year in support of The Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise cancer awareness around the world. Last year was the first time I participated.

candied lemon slices recipe – use real butter (2)

So if you want to participate there is still time (Barbara has extended the submission date to September 18th). Whip up something yellow – be it savory or sweet, and hop over to Barbara’s page for instructions on how to be a part of LiveSTRONG: With a Taste of Yellow. My submission is past the jump.

*************

I’m in the middle of the “getting to know you” period with my new camera. I haven’t taken it out for serious shooting yet, but I have managed to screw around a bit. Of course, the inaugural photo had to be Kaweah.

our sleep olympian hard at work on her exhausting training regimen

But you didn’t see the first few captures because I always shoot in RAW and my software was not compatible (i.e. it’s OLD) with the latest Adobe RAW version. After yet another upgrade (phase 4 now complete), we are now cooking with gas! I jumped from CS2 to CS4 (sorry CS3, never knew ya) and I like it so far… as long as it doesn’t require a desktop upgrade because we have all of $.52 to our names now.

the last of the harebells

the local stands are still predominantly green

Our nights are flirting with frosts again and it is starting to smell like autumn. I have apples on the brain too! Okay, but we have just under two weeks left of summer, so let’s not shortchange anyone.

organic lemon

Ever since I visited Seth Ellis Chocolatier a few weeks ago, I have had a minor obsession with candied lemon slices. I’ve candied orange peels out the hoohah, but only candied lemon slices twice. The first time was by accident and the second time was a complete failure. I tweeted with Rick (@ricklevine) about the recipe they use. It takes 3 weeks! I don’t have 3 weeks to candy lemon slices right now. Then Rick said I could just “boil the *%&# out of some citrus for a couple of hours”. So that’s what I did.

thin slices

I blanched the slices in boiling water and then dumped them in ice water per the instructions on Martha’s page. My orange peel recipe blanches the peels three times, but I was afraid if I did that, there would be nothing left of the lemon slices except the rinds.

brrrrrrrr!

Once the slices were out of the ice water, I boiled a pan of sugar syrup. Martha says 1:1 water to sugar, my orange peel recipe says 1:3 water to sugar. I compromised with 1:2 water to sugar and let the slices simmer for an hour.

talk about hot sweetness

Based on prior experience, I should have let the lemons simmer for up to 2 hours. At just over 1 hour of simmering, I think my slices tend to be more gooey and harder to handle (because they don’t dry completely).

draining off the excess sugar

I let the slices dry for about 24 hours on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to catch all of the sugar drips. They look like little glass ornaments (I was going to say they look like candy, but… they ARE candy – durrrr). Tempering a batch of semi-sweet chocolate, I dipped half of the slices and left the rest plain. These are gorgeous and delicate confections – chewy, sweet, lemony, but not bitter (the blanching remedies that, I believe). I think I love the combination of lemon and dark chocolate more than the previous reigning champion combo of orange and dark chocolate. Definitely going into the handmade gifts arsenal.

chocolate-dipped and delectable

These candied lemon slices are my contribution to Barbara’s roundup for the LiveSTRONG: With a Taste of Yellow event.

great as a garnish, but perfectly lovely on its own

Candied Lemon Slices
[print recipe]
adapted from Martha Stewart and Culinary School of the Rockies

1-3 organic lemons, washed
water for boiling
ice water
2 cups sugar (you could increase this to 3 cups – I haven’t tried that with the lemons yet)
1 cup water
tempered chocolate for dipping (optional)

Cut the lemons into thin slices (not too thin or else they tear apart too easily) removing seeds and the ends. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and blanch the lemon slices for about a minute. Drain the lemon slices and plunge them into a bath of ice water. Drain. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer and add the lemon slices. Let simmer (don’t boil) for an hour (you can simmer as much as 2 hours). Remove slices from hot sugar syrup and set on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to dry. Could take up to 24 hours to dry. Dip in tempered dark chocolate and set on parchment paper until chocolate has cooled and firmed up.

September 10th, 2009: 4:44 pm
filed under chocolate, confections, frozen, recipes, sweet

charlane says:
September 10th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

so pretty and delicate looking

Danielle says:
September 10th, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Your pictures look amazing – what camera do you use? I just downloaded the trial version for CS4 and am playing around with it, but it’s a steep learning curve! And $%#^ expensive too :/

Kristin says:
September 10th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

Don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog work so hard at sleeping! Has she gone pro yet, or is she still an amateur? The lemons are gorgeous. I just love that shot of the dripping one. The simmering shot made me think of jellyfish. Do you recommend keeping the slices as separate as possible while simmering? I’m guessing they might get stuck together if they overlap.

joey says:
September 10th, 2009 at 8:05 pm

They are gorgeous! They do look like delicate glass ornaments and yes they would make an awesome gift!

I try to join a Taste of Yellow every year…thanks for the update on the extended deadline!

barbara says:
September 10th, 2009 at 8:18 pm

Jen these are beautiful. So pretty and delicate. I love them. I’m so pleased you were able to join in despite your busy month. Thank you. Hugsxxoo

peabody says:
September 11th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

Um, yeah. That last photo is so freaking cool!

Syin says:
September 12th, 2009 at 8:10 am

Oh wow, those do look so beautiful – like glass ornaments!

Allysinnia says:
September 12th, 2009 at 9:10 am

Wow, those are gorgeous photos! I bet you could sell prints of the thunderhead building and of the macro on the harebells. What is your camera? I didn’t see if you mentioned it.

Also, I have a recipe that calls for steeping the lemon slices (tho it is just for the peels) in room temperature water for three days, changing out the water every day, to get rid of any lingering bitterness from the peel. They end up so sweet, like a lemon candy. Do yours have any lingering bitterness or does the blanching take care of it?

Allysinnia says:
September 12th, 2009 at 9:15 am

*cough* Never mind the thing with blanching, I’m apparently just an idiot who can’t read…

Rosmarina says:
September 12th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Wow, the 5th and the last lemon candies photos are just GORGEOUS! I love this recipe… And your blog! I love above all the Pistachio and Chocolate Biscotti recipe… Just made! XD

Abby says:
September 12th, 2009 at 7:57 pm

GORGEOUS.

I’m totally doing this at Christmas.

Aran says:
September 13th, 2009 at 5:25 am

wow… those lemons sparkle almost like diamonds under your camera and the photo of the sunset… my goodness. so vibrant! great entry for a great cause jen!

Manisha says:
September 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am

Did you use a flash on the last pic? If so, you bad bad bad girl! Breaking all rules of food photography! ;-)
What lemons did you use? I’ve begged for a bushel of meyer lemons from a friend’s tree.

Asianmommy says:
September 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

Beautiful pictures! I love the lemon dipped in chocolate–yum!

Caitlin says:
September 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

I love the jewel-like transparency! And the instructions you were given :P Oh, and thank you for constantly giving me things to point out to my boyfriend so he goes “Oh wow, that’s gorgeous – where is that?” and I can answer with “Boulder!” Little by little, I’ll convince him… :)

Mrs Ergül says:
September 13th, 2009 at 8:10 pm

All your lemon makes such great photos in this post! I hope I have time to post something up for this great cause too! Take care Jen! xxoo

Ruth says:
September 14th, 2009 at 8:44 am

These and your orange peels are just to die for!!! love the citrus with or without the dark chocolate…beautiful pictures!!!

jenyu says:
September 14th, 2009 at 11:05 am

Thanks everyone! These candied slices are totally worth the trouble (if it’s not hot – if it’s hot, I don’t want to cook anything).

Kristin – the Martha Stewart page says to keep them in a single layer, but honestly, I think it’s ok to overlap them because when you remove them from the syrup, they’re not stuck together (just really syruppy and drippy). Just take care that they don’t overcook into a giant mass.

Barbara – anything for you, my dear :)

Judy – will do.

Tartelette – mini lemon construction thingy?!? ha ha ha!

Miriam – you’re so sweet. I’ll take it as far as I can! :)

Kristina – it’s easy (sort of). Have the camera ready on the tripod, focused and metered accordingly. Hold up the drippy slice and shoot several consecutive shots to get the right “drip”. I took about 8 exposures and this was the only one I liked.

Sharon – I use black plexiglass.

Margie – the orange and lemon slices are both heavenly!

Kitt – don’t know… it might be good, might be not as good. You try it and tell me how it works out! :)

Stephanie – you are such a sweetheart. Thank you.

Kirsa – I’ve been wanting to try with orange slices too. Thanks for the tips!

Allysinnia – I do sell prints of my nature photography :) That’s what I do. My new camera is the Nikon D3x, but I don’t use it for food photography unless I’m traveling with the D3x.

Manisha – ha ha, I didn’t use flash in the last pic, but I COULD have and few would be the wiser! :) If you score meyer lemons, I’d loooooove to pinch a few from you!!

Allison says:
September 14th, 2009 at 1:30 pm

Your post is another nudge for me to make candied lemon slices. They’ve been filed under my “to make” list for quite a while now.

And, I love your well placed use of the word “hoohah”. This word is a regular in my vocabulary, but I didn’t think other people actually used it too. :-)

jie says:
September 14th, 2009 at 4:55 pm

that picture with sugar dripping is amazing!!!

Patricia Scarpin says:
September 15th, 2009 at 6:01 am

Can’t believe I missed it this year. What a shame.

Love the recipe you chose, Jen – vibrant, fresh… Full of life.

SallyBR says:
September 15th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

Not sure if it is a problem on my side, but your link to the “Lance Armstrong Foundation” got me back on your own site. Just letting you know in case it is NOT a problem with my own computer…

Loved your recipe….

jenyu says:
September 15th, 2009 at 3:40 pm

Sally – You were right – typo on my end. Thank you!

SallyBR says:
September 16th, 2009 at 5:54 am

Glad to help! :-)

Joy says:
September 17th, 2009 at 11:21 am

The lemons look SO beautiful, I could cry! Lovely photos…you are rocking that cam. :)

Hopefully I can make something yellow this weekend and join you guys. I am actually waiting for a diagnosis, and trying hard not to freak out.

Manisha says:
September 17th, 2009 at 11:53 pm

Kitt, definitely need the chocolate. If nothing but to avoid a lot of sticky on one’s fingers. But I think it adds to it cos chocolate + candied lemon = heaven. And this is from someone who is not chocolate crazy.

Jen, I said heaven. :-D Pure unadulterated heaven. Thank you for the treat. I did let D have a teeny bite. He agreed!

Luney says:
September 18th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

These look absolutely GORGEOUS! And not horribly complicated, either (of course, that could just be wishful thinking). I see you use chopsticks to fish the little darlings out of their sugary bath. Makes sense. I use chopsticks when making potato chips at home (when no one wants to go out and buy a bag of Lays). I bet this recipe could be adapted for candying limes, too. All that wonderful limey flavor, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Another lovely holiday gift idea. Must remember these.

Thank you for posting!

jenyu says:
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am

Joy – thanks, but the lemons were shot with the same old camera I’ve been using for the past 3 years. I’m not shooting food photos with the d3x…

deeba says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:46 am

I’m left gobsmacked. BEAUTIFUL indeed, and gorgeous pictures! I love the pic of candy dripping…

Susan says:
January 21st, 2010 at 2:35 pm

Thanks. I wonder about blanching the whole fruit twice and then slicing and blanching the slices once. I did grapefruit peels yesterday dipped in bitter choc and they are so good. One tip I can add is: if you have an oven with a dehydrating setting, a couple hours in there on each side dries them out a good bit (after they have been drying naturally overnight) if they need it.

The Incubator » A Delicious Distraction says:
November 14th, 2010 at 4:26 pm

[…] Candied Lemon Slices SCREEN SHOT FOODGAWKER.COM […]

Mary says:
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:43 am

Fantastic recipe, fanastic photography! I am thinking of cutting mine into small pieces and using them as fillers and toppers for my home made chocloates. I have several different-shaped moulds and one has a little ‘dip’ in it at the top -ideal for a little piece of candied fruit!

Mary says:
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:44 am

oops! I meant to write chocolates!!!

Mary says:
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:45 am

Double oops -I meant fantastic photography – you see what you’ve done – one little recipe has put me in a real spin!

A Little Bite of Everything | Three Wise Men says:
January 12th, 2011 at 12:48 pm

[…] orange, lemon, or lime peels or slices, and sugar or sliced almonds to […]

stephany n. says:
March 16th, 2011 at 9:23 pm

simply marvelous.

pictures and candied lemons are brilliant.
cant wait to try it out

Candied Lemon Slices « Books 'N Cooks says:
June 15th, 2011 at 1:07 pm

[…] Adapted from Use Real Butter […]

Snip Snip says:
June 24th, 2011 at 1:04 am

Dear god these look so good. I cannot be on here when Im hungry. Its torture.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake | Renegade Kitchen says:
June 28th, 2011 at 10:59 pm

[…] Candied Lemon SlicesAdapted from UseRealButter.comhttp://userealbutter.com/2009/09/10/candied-lemon-slices-recipe/ […]

tia says:
October 5th, 2011 at 3:19 pm

hi, just wanted ot let you know i tried these out and they were bomb. took a while too dry them things but my family and friends loved them. thanks
cg

Oranges and Lemons | Live Rich & Free says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:01 am

[…] and they came out great for Christmas.) They certainly don’t look as pretty as the ones over at Use Real Butter! I want that picture hanging in my kitchen! Share and […]

Books and Cooks says:
November 12th, 2011 at 11:39 am

[…] Adapted from Use Real Butter […]

pixipanda says:
December 9th, 2011 at 8:25 am

These look so wonderful! And I have a tree full of Meyers lemons needing some sort of use. (Freezer’s still full of juice from the last crop.) One thing I couldn’t find the answer to is storage: Do you think they’ll keep for a couple of weeks? Do they need to be refrigerated? I’d like to make them as Christmas gifts, but I’m hoping not to have to do it last minute. No need to make the season more stressful, right? :)

Thank you for sharing!

jenyu says:
December 9th, 2011 at 9:14 am

pixipanda – yes, they should keep for a month at least. I probably wouldn’t refrigerate them, just keep them in a sealed container at room temperature (but don’t let them get hot).

dana says:
March 23rd, 2012 at 10:44 am

Breathtaking!!

MikeD says:
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:22 am

I just finish making them and they turned out tasting so much like the uncooke version ! Bad :( but pretty

Lemon Tart with Candied Lemon and Sugar Cookie Crust | thefrostedhippo says:
March 5th, 2013 at 9:46 pm

[…] *wash the lemons in a strainer (set strainer aside, you’ll need it later) *slice lemons (not so thin about 1/4″) * boil any amount of water. * once boiling, add lemon slices and boil for one minute *strain lemons and run cold water over lemon slices. * over medium heat the 1 cup water and 2 cups sugar until sugar is dissolved. *add cool lemon slices and simmer for one hour. * take out lemon slices and place on a wire cooling rack and let dry for as long as possible. Enjoy!! beautiful original recipe […]

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Clean – {Orange Cupcakes with Candied Orange Garnish} says:
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[…] Orange Slices via Use Real ButterMine were a little chewier than I would have liked, but I think these would turn out perfectly if […]

When life gives you lemons… | Miss Carrie Ann says:
July 22nd, 2015 at 9:33 am

[…] Cooking Classy blog and then as a cherry on top—make that lemon slice, I made these fantastic candied lemon slices from Use Real Butter. The only modification I made was that after I let these babies dry for […]

Deborah says:
April 7th, 2016 at 1:00 am

Can I ask how do I store these if I’m not dipping them in chocolate and how long will keep in the fridge?

Deborah says:
April 7th, 2016 at 1:02 am

Don’t worry, got my answer, thanks.

candied lemon slices recipe – use real butter (2024)

LiveSTRONG and kick ass

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