Candied Lemon Slices

Candied lemon slices make beautiful garnishes for cakes, pies, and pastries and they are completely edible.

Serve them as homemade candy, use them as garnish, or chop them up and add them to cake and cookie batter. Don't throw out the sugar water that you cook the lemon slices in. It makes a lovely lemon syrup to use in drinks.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Calories: 55kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

2 cups water plus more to blanch the lemons
2 cups granulated sugar
6 to 7 lemons

Optional Sugar and Chocolate Coating

½ cup granulated sugar
8 ounces semi sweet or milk chocolate

Instructions

Blanch the Lemons (Optional)

Slice the lemons into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices and remove the seeds.
Place the lemon slices in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the lemon slices for 30 to 60 seconds.
Drain the water off and fill the saucepan with fresh water. Simmer the lemon slices one more time for another 30 to 60 seconds. Blanching the lemon slices twice (or even three times) will help reduce the bitterness.

Make candied lemons

Combine 1 cup of water and the sugar in an empty saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the lemon slices and simmer uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes. The rinds will be soft, shiny, and almost translucent.
Transfer the lemon slices to a wire rack that is placed over a sheet of parchment paper. Space them apart so air can circulate around them. Let them dry overnight or about 8 hours.

Coating the Lemon Slices:

Toss the lemon slices in sugar to coat both sides thoroughly.
To dip the slices in chocolate, melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Dip half of a lemon slice in the chocolate and set it on a piece of parchment or wax paper to dry.

Notes

Blanching the lemon slices first will remove some of the bitterness in the rinds.
The long boil time will infuse syrup deeply into the cells of the lemon and they will last longer since sugar preserves them. The thinner you slice the lemons, the more the centers will deteriorate as you boil them but when you coat them in sugar, the centers will appear to be “filled” again.
The lemon slices will not be quite as sticky after you dry them overnight but they will still retain some stickiness. Coating them in sugar will prevent them from sticking together.

Storing the Lemon Slices:

Store the candied lemons in an airtight container. For best results stack them with parchment paper between the layers. They can sit at room temperature for 3 to 5 days or in the fridge for a month. You can freeze them for up to 6 months. If they accumulate moisture and get sticky, toss them in granulated sugar again.

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