How to Make Organic Candied Lemons

Learn how to make Organic Candied Lemons with this easy step by step recipe. Candied lemons make a beautiful cake topper and are a delicious treat all on their own! This recipe is candied lemon slices (simmered in syrup) — not hard lemon drop candy.

Try adding candied lemons on top of cakes, cupcakes, or brownies. Some recipes that these would be delicious on are Sourdough Lavender Lemon Bundt Cake, Vanilla Buttermilk Sheet Cake, or Simple Vanilla Cupcakes.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

• Recipe Name: Organic Candied Lemons
• Ready In: 15 minutes
• Makes: 6 servings
• Main Ingredients: lemons, cane sugar
• Flavor Profile: sweet, slightly tart lemon goodness
• Dietary Info: vegan, gluten free, no seed oils, eggless
• Difficulty: Easy!
• Why You’ll Love It: perfect for topping cakes, brownies, cupcakes and more

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• 3 Ingredients: This lemon candy only has 3 ingredients. Organic lemons, cane sugar, (and water) is all you need to make this simple treat.
• Use as a Garnish: These Organic Candied Lemons make a beautiful garnish to cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more. You can even add them into a DIY Christmas Cookie Box.
• Simple Dessert: This lemon candy is a simple dessert that can also be enjoyed on its own. You can even dip them in chocolate or dust them with sugar for a delicious homemade lemon candy.

Ingredients

• Lemons: With this recipe, we're eating the lemon peels of the lemons. So, choosing organic really matters to avoid pesticides and more! You can use regular lemons or also Meyer lemons. And you can also use this recipe for oranges or grapefruit or other citrus fruits too.
• Cane Sugar: Make sure you are using organic cane sugar, as this will give you the best flavor!
• Water: Water and sugar are used together to create a simple syrup that coats these lemons. It is equal parts water and sugar. So, if you want to make a larger or smaller batch, you can just use equal parts of water and sugar.

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker's Tips

• I cut the lemons into thicker slices = chewier, more marmalade-like rind. But, if you want thinner slices, feel free to go 1/8-inch thick too.
• Use any other citrus in place of lemons.
• Oranges, blood oranges, grapefruits, or limes all work!
• Feel free to adjust the sugar if you want them less sweet.
• Don't throw away that liquid as it's a natural lemon simple syrup that's perfect in cocktails or mocktails!

How to Make Organic Candied Lemon Slices

1. Slice lemons into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick slices and remove seeds.

2. In a large skillet (I'm using a 12-inch), add the sugar and water. Put over medium heat. Stir to combine and allow the sugar to dissolve completely. Add the sliced lemons and make sure they are all flat in the skillet. I like a wide skillet so slices stay flat and don’t overlap.

3. Stir to combine and allow the sugar to dissolve completely.

4. Add the sliced lemons and make sure they are all flat in the skillet.

5. Simmer over medium heat until the rinds are soft and the liquid is thick and sticky. They’re ready when the peel looks slightly translucent and the rind is tender, not hard.

6. Remove them from the pan, and place on cooling rack, silicone mat, or parchment paper to dry overnight. Don't throw the liquid, this is a natural lemon simple syrup you can use in cocktails or drinks. Simply store it in a mason jar in the fridge.

How to Use This Homemade Lemon Candy

• Top cakes or cupcakes like Lemon Olive Oil Snack Cake With Lemon Frosting, Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, Best Meyer Lemon Pound Cake, Chocolate Pound Cake With Chocolate Frosting, or Eggless Coconut Sheet Cake.
• Add on top of brownies or blondies, try them on top of my Organic Bone Broth Brownies!
• Dip in chocolate for a sweet treat! Check out How to Temper Chocolate for Candy Making if you want to temper chocolate for gifting.
• Add on top of a glaze on muffins!
• Sprinkle with cane sugar and eat plain.

Ways to Use Homemade Lemon Simple Syrup

During the process of making homemade candied lemons, you will get a homemade lemon simple syrup! So, don't throw this away as it can be used for so many things.

• Use as a sweetener in cocktails or mocktails.
• Add into glaze or buttercream frosting to make it lemon flavored.
• Add into tea for a sweetened lemon flavor.
• Use it to brush over the top of a simple cake without frosting such as Traditional Butter Pound Cake Loaf for a sweet finish.
• Add into smoothies for a burst of lemon flavor!

Trouble Shooting

• Bitter? If your lemons are bitter, you could have cooked them too hot. We are going for a gentle simmer here.
• Too sticky? If they are too sticky, they probably didn’t dry long enough.
• Turned brown? If your lemons browned or burned, then the heat was too high. All stoves are a bit different as far as heat goes, if you have a powerful range, you should be more towards low than medium.
• Syrup crystallized? Sugar wasn’t fully dissolved before adding slices, be patient and melt the sugar completely before adding the lemons.

Organic Candied Lemons FAQ's

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