Naranjas confitadas are a traditional Guatemalan sweet: thick-skinned orange halves cooked, soaked for a day, and slowly candied in syrup.
The sweet came from Spain and became part of Guatemalan confectionery; it’s also used to decorate cakes.
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Guatemalan Candied Orange Peel
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 26 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 20 halves
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Guatemalan
Ingredients
- 10 thick-skinned oranges
- ½ pound of sugar per orange (5 pounds in total)
- 300 ml of water
- Water, for the first cooking and the soak
Preparation
- Cook the oranges, halve them, scrape them a little, and cook them in water until very soft; remove from the heat and let them cool in their water.
- Soak, remove the seeds, put the oranges in a cotton cloth bag, tie it, and leave them in water for 24 hours.
- Candy, place the oranges in a pot with the 300 ml of water and the sugar and cook over moderate heat, without stirring so the syrup doesn’t crystallize, until candied in their syrup.
Tips
- Use thick-skinned oranges.
- Don’t stir the oranges while they candy so the syrup doesn’t crystallize.
- The 24-hour soak in the cloth bag removes their bitterness.
Traditional variations
- In Guatemala they’re also called naranjas en miel.
How to serve
Serve the candied oranges cold, with a little of their syrup, as a dessert or to decorate cakes.
Recommended pairings
- Coffee
- Cakes
Did you know?
Candied oranges are among the traditional sweets sold at Guatemala’s fairs and markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thick-skinned oranges, which hold up to cooking and candying.
The cooked oranges sit in water for a day inside a cotton bag to remove their bitterness.
Half a pound per orange, with 300 ml of water.
