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Candied Lemon Slices are super easy and a delicious way to decorate your favorite lemon foods. These lemon slices are so good you may just eat them before they get a chance to be decoration!
Lemons are a favorite ingredient for both savory and sweet meals, they just brighten the dish. Try these tried and true recipes using lemons to see what I mean, Chicken, Scallops, and Shrimp Pasta!
Candied Lemon Slices Recipe
If you have always wanted to be one of those bakers who not only bakes insanely delicious goodies but can decorate them too, this recipe is for you. Super simple and these candied lemon slices will make any dessert or main dish look elegant and fancy. The translucent lemons not only look delicate and ornate, but they taste amazing too. Plop these lemon slices on desserts such as Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Bars, and this Lemon Cake. Watch as the candied lemon slices take these desserts from awesome to WOW!
Besides using candied lemon slices to decorate your Lemon Macaroon Cheesecake, you can just eat them for a fun snack. Simmering them in the sugar water transforms these sour lemons into a sweet treat you are going to love. Letting these candied lemon slices dry will give them a nice sugary crust. Super easy and super fun, you have to try making these candied lemons for yourself.
What you Need for the Easy Candied Lemon Slices
Super simple, these candied lemon slices are going to taste amazing! They are simple to make and make a WOW statement on any dessert! For total measurements, scroll to the recipe card.
- 1-2 lemons: Slice your lemons thinly. If you have one use a mandolin to make them even and thin. A serrated knife also gives you great control in cutting them thin.
- Water: You want to use an equal amount of water to sugar. Regular tap water is all you need.
- Granulated sugar: Keep your ratio of water to sugar equal, for this recipe you should not cut back the sugar. This will help to candy the lemons and create a yummy texture.
How to Make Candied Lemons
Just a few steps and these candied lemon slices are all you need to make one of the best edible decorations out there! These candied sliced lemons are perfect for adding to a dessert, eating them plain or enjoy them on your choice of beverage.
- Slice: Wash and dry the lemons. Using a very sharp knife, slice them as thin as possible, removing the seeds as you go. If you have a mandolin, this will get your slices very thin and even.
- Simple Syrup: In a wide pot or deep, wide pan, add the water and the sugar. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil. Once all the sugar has dissolved, reduce heat to low and simmer. Add the lemon slices and keep the spread out in the simple syrup.
- Drain: Simmer the lemon slices for about an hour, until the rind and pith start to turn translucent. Once translucent, remove them from the syrup onto a parchment-lined sheet pan
- Dry: You can air-dry the lemons for about 24-48 hours, flipping them over halfway through but they will still remain sticky to the touch. Another option is to set your oven as low as possible and let the lemons dry in the oven, which will result in less sticky candied lemons. Check them and flip them frequently so they don’t burn. If they begin to get dark or turn brown, remove them from the oven. They will require a good 1-2 hours in the oven to fully dry.
- How to use: Once finished, you can use your candied lemons as a garnish for desserts, or simply eat them plain. The syrup may be saved and used to flavor drinks or discarded.
Tips for the Best Lemon Slices
You will have success using either Meyer or regular lemons for this recipe. Sliced candied lemons will be the perfect garnish or tasty treat this summer! Create a fun summertime treat with these candied lemon slices!
- Lemons: If you are not sure which kind of lemon to use, go with a Meyer lemon. They tend to be just a bit sweeter and will have less of a bitter aftertaste.
- How to Get Rid of the Bitter: Even after you candy the lemons in sugar they can still be a bit bitter when you eat them. To help with this you can blanch your lemons before simmering them in the simple syrup. Bring a separate pot to boil add the sliced lemons into the pot and boil for 60 seconds. Immediately remove and plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Then continue with simmering them in the simple syrup.
- Use a Wide Pot: You want to use a wide pot or a wide deep pan to simmer the lemon slices. This way they won’t overlap in the water.
- Just till Translucent: You want to simmer the candied lemons just till they become translucent. If you let them simmer too long they will disintegrate.
- Other Citrus: This recipe will work for other citrus fruits including limes, grapefruit, and oranges. YUM!
- Serve: Add a bit of crunch and sparkle to your lemon slices by dipping them in sugar before decorating your dessert.
How to Dry and Store Candied Lemon Slices
- Air Dry: I like to plan ahead and make sure I have enough time to let these candied slices air dry for 24-36 hours. You will want to place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. They will be a bit tacky to the touch.
- Oven: If you want to dry them faster you can place them in the oven on low, check them often so that they don’t burn. You can even turn the oven up to 275 if you watch it carefully.
- Save the Syrup: The leftover lemon-flavored syrup is super yummy. Use it like pancake syrup, add it to drinks, and even baked goods for extra lemony flavor.
- How to Use Lemon Slices: Besides a pretty garnish on baked goods, you can cut them in half to decorate drinks and chop them up to add to recipes for a bit of a sweet zingy flavor.
- Store Candied Lemon Slices: Keep these in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and sometimes even longer.
More Lemon Recipes to Love
Anything with lemons in it is like adding a bit of sunshine to your meal. It adds a bright zippy flavor that just brightens the taste. Lemons are a great item to always have on hand so that you can make one of these incredible recipes whenever you need them. They are such a great flavor that goes with so many things. You are going to love these family favorite recipes.
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Candied Lemon Slices
Ingredients
- 1-2 medium lemons sliced thin
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a wide pot or deep, wide pan, add the water and the sugar. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil. Once all the sugar has dissolved, reduce heat to low and simmer. Add the lemon slices and keep the spread out in the simple syrup.
- Simmer the lemon slices for about an hour, unil the rind and pith start to turn translucent. Once translucent, remove them from the syrup onto a parchment lined sheet pan
- You can air dry the lemons for about 24-48 hours, flipping them over halfway through but they will still remain sticky to the touch. Another option is to set your oven as low as possible and let the lemons dry in the oven, which will result in less sticky candied lemons. Check them and flip them frequently so they don’t burn. If they begin to get dark or turn brown, remove them from the oven. They will require a good 1-2 hours in the oven to fully dry.
- Once finished, you can use your candied lemons as a garnish for desserts, or simply eat them plain. The syrup may be saved and used to flavor drinks, or discarded.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Making up a big ole batch of these beauts later today!! Jus need to pick up a few necessities fer the recipe, then it’s GO TIME!! Loves me some great lemony deserts!!
Hey Dave! So happy you’re trying out this recipe! You’ll have to check out my full list of lemon recipes next. 😊
Can I use to decorate a cake that needs to be frozen for travel? Wondering how they will handle the thaw process?
I haven’t tried this before but I think they should thaw out just fine.
Can I use the dehydrate option on my oven to dry them?
I don’t have an oven like that to try this out with but I think that would work ok! Let me know how it goes!
How long do the slices last and how do you preserve them?
Keep these in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Does the lemon syrup need to be refrigerated?
Yes!
Will the simple syrup keep for a while as well?
Yes! The leftover lemon-flavored syrup is super yummy! Add it to drinks or even use it as pancake syrup to add a bit of a sweet, lemon flavor.
great for so many things as a decorative element as your write or just an fun snack, thank you!