Candied watermelon peels: the easiest recipes for cooking at home with photos and videos

Candied fruit is a well-known delicacy that is prepared by boiling fruits or their peels in sugar syrup. They act as a separate dessert, and are used to decorate confectionery. They contain a fairly large amount of sugar, but at the same time retain the beneficial properties of the fruits from which they are made. Here are some recipes for making candied fruits from ripe watermelon rinds.

What you need to know about candied watermelon rinds?

Watermelon rind is rich in nutrients, like its pulp, has its own indistinguishable aroma and, with proper processing, may well become a delicious dessert.In particular, you can cook candied fruits. So it’s not always worth throwing watermelon peels in the trash, you can be patient and get original sweets that are unlikely to be found on sale. It should be understood that watermelon must be grown without the addition of a large amount of harmful substances that tend to accumulate in the peel.

Selecting and preparing the main ingredient

It is better to take a watermelon with a thick crust as a basis. The top green layer is cut off from the crust and the remnants of the pulp are removed. The raw material is thoroughly washed in water and dried with a napkin. Then it is cut into cubes or curly pieces (if there is a special knife or device).

The weight of the watermelon mass should be about 1 -1.2 kg, so that it is more convenient to use the ratio with other ingredients.

The process of making candied fruits from watermelon peels

The procedure for preparing any candied fruits, as a rule, is standard and consists of several stages. Recipes for cooking candied fruits from watermelon peels differ only in the composition and quantity of ingredients and additives.

Steps:

preparation of raw materials (see above);
soaking or boiling in water (allows you to soften the pulp and remove harmful substances). You can omit this moment, but for ideal candied watermelon it will not be superfluous, therefore, before starting cooking, it is better to soak the crusts in water for a couple of hours (add any adsorbent if desired) or boil for 10-15 minutes;
boiling in sugar syrup is the longest process, during which all moisture is removed from the crusts and they are saturated with sugar flavor, as well as acquire a glossy appearance and a pleasant texture. Water is mixed with sugar and sugar syrup is prepared on the stove (it should be thick enough), after which watermelon peels are placed in it and boiled for 5-10 minutes. Then you need to let it cool and brew in syrup for several hours, and then turn it on again and boil it. This process must be repeated until the pieces become transparent and acquire a pleasant yellowish tint.Usually they cost 6-10 brews, but you can speed up the process if you are satisfied with the appearance and quality of the candied fruits.
straining the syrup through a colander to rid the delicacy of the remaining water;
Drying of candied fruits is carried out either in the oven or in an electric dryer at a temperature of 40-60 degrees until ready. The finished product should be dry on the outside and firm on the inside.

It is allowed to dry simply in a dry, warm, closed room for several days. In the oven, the time takes 1-2 hours.

Recipes for candied watermelon rinds

The easiest recipe for the winter

To remind yourself of summer and the aroma of watermelon in winter, enjoy a quick recipe for making a dessert from watermelon peels at home.

Ingredients:

water - 0.5 liters;
sugar - 1.2 kg;
watermelon peel - 1 kg;
powdered sugar - 50 gr.

To speed up the cooking process of candied fruits, you can omit the soaking step and immediately prepare a sweet syrup. You can cook in this solution longer - up to 20 minutes, stirring constantly and avoiding burning. Let it brew all night. The next day, repeat the cooking procedure several times with short periods of cooling and settling.

Strain, spread on a baking sheet so that the pieces do not stick together. Send candied watermelon for drying in the oven or dryer for 1-1.5 hours, the temperature regime is around +50 ^{С. Sprinkle with sweet powder and store in an airtight dry container or serve with tea.}

With lemon

In this recipe, you can use not only lemon juice, but also lime, citric acid to give notes of sourness to candied fruits.

Ingredients:

watermelon peel - 1.5 kg;
granulated sugar - 1.8 kg;
water - 3 cups;
1 Lemon or 5g citric acid.

How to make candied watermelon with lemon? The procedure is the same as above. If time permits, you can use a multi-stage process with soaking and several days of boiling, so the candied fruit will become rich and beautiful. The only difference is that acid is added to the syrup during cooking (it can be lime or lemon juice). Therefore, as a result, candied fruits are obtained with a citrus aroma and sourness.

With orange

Candied orange with an orange tint and a bright orange flavor.

Ingredients:

orange - 2 large fruits;
watermelon peels - 1 kg;
granulated sugar - 1.2 kg;
water - 2.5 cups;
powdered sugar - 50 gr.

Cook the crusts with the addition of orange zest and squeezed orange juice. We repeat the standard steps of soaking, filter, dry. Wonderful orange sweets are ready! Bon appetit!

With soda

Soda is used in any of the recipes to soften watermelon rinds before they are going to boil. Thanks to the action of this substance, the pulp of candied fruits becomes as tender as possible. One teaspoon should be diluted in 3-4 glasses of hot water and pour the chopped watermelon peels with this raster. Let it brew for 2-3 hours. Then rinse thoroughly with water and can be sent to the fire in sweet syrup. Next - weld according to the described scheme.

With ginger

Candied ginger - a reminder of oriental sweets. In addition to ginger, you can add other spices and spices to candied fruits, to your taste. It can be Indian masala, cloves, vanilla, cardamom and even hot red pepper!

Ingredients:

ground ginger - 1 teaspoon;
peeled watermelon peel - 1 kg;
sugar - 1 kg;
lemon or orange zest - 1 tsp;
water - 3 glasses.

Soak sliced watermelon rinds in sugar syrup, zest and ginger for a few hours. Put the whole mixture on fire and boil for 10-15 minutes. Let cool. Do this procedure several times, then strain and dry at a temperature of 40 to 60 degrees.The delicacy is obtained with a rich ginger flavor and aroma.

In the slow cooker

Household appliances speed up and facilitate the process of cooking candied fruits.

Ingredients:

watermelon peel - 1.5 kg;
water - 1.5 l;
sugar - 2 kg;
powdered sugar for dusting.

Cooking steps:

Soaking in normal water - 3-5 days, in the refrigerator, the water needs to be changed regularly;
Washing in running water;
Select the “Steaming” mode in the multicooker, the crusts should be covered with water - 20 minutes;
strain;
Dilute sugar with water, place with crusts in a slow cooker, turn on the “Pilaf” mode until automatic shutdown occurs;
We carry out the drying procedure in the oven.

In the electric dryer

Electric food dryer saves a lot of time. And if you use it in tandem with a marinator, you can cook candied fruits much faster than in the standard way.

put the watermelon crusts covered with sugar in the marinator for several cycles;
then cook in boiling sweet syrup until transparent;
strain through a colander or cheesecloth;
put candied fruits from watermelon peels in an electric dryer and bring to readiness;
sprinkle with powdered sugar and store in a dry, covered container.

To get colorful candied fruits, you can use food colorings and syrups of bright berries (blueberries, sea buckthorn, cherries or black currants) when cooking. The kids will love it!

Storage

Ready-made candied fruits from watermelon peels are stored for a long time if they are put in a dry jar or container with a resealable lid. You can also use paper or plastic bags. The main thing is to prevent moisture from getting inside.