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buddah hand citron candy

Buddha's hand citron candy and simple syrup

Use our buddha's hand citron candy recipe is Once you're done making Buddha's hand citron sun tea (6-10 hours), strain out the citron to make this delicious candy recipe, then save the left over simple syrup for drinks, sorbets, and more!

Course candy, Dessert, Drinks
Cuisine American, Asian
Keyword Buddha's hand citron, Buddha's hand citron candy, Buddha's hand citron recipe, Buddha's hand citron simple syrup, citrus candy
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Drying time 3 days
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 20 servings
Author Aaron von Frank

Ingredients

  • 5 Buddha's hand citrons (average fruit size = 8 oz)
  • 5 cups organic cane sugar for cooking + 1 cup *sugar for rolling/coating the finished fruit candy (*you may want to use a superfine/caster sugar for rolling/coating your Buddha's hand candies at the end)
  • 6 cups water for cooking

Instructions

  1. Cut each citron into ~1/3" thick slices (see photo in article) to reveal the internal flower shape. Use the "finger" pieces too.

  2. (Option A: Sun Tea) If it's warm (over 70 degrees) and sunny out and you'd like to make sun tea, place the slices into a jar and fill with water. Put jars in a sunny spot for the day. Strain out citrus to make candy and put "citron tea" into fridge until ready to drink (sweeten to taste).

  3. (Option B: No Sun Tea) If it's cold or you're in a rush for time, jump right in to candy-making mode. You'll need to blanche the citron to remove some of the bitter flavors. Put the citron slices into a pot and cover with water. Simmer (just below boil) just long enough to make pieces translucent, about 30-40 minutes). Pour out water.

  4. Add 5 cups fresh water back to the pot + sugar. Cook just until the temperature of the mix reaches 230°F (110°C). A candy thermometer is REALLY helpful for this. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

  5. Pour the citron-flavored simple syrup from the pan into jars and refrigerate until you're ready to use them. Strain the citron pieces out and place them on cooling racks to dry for 24 hours.

  6. Pour organic pure cane sugar into bowl. Toss each piece of citron in sugar until thoroughly and uniformly coated. Place back on drying rack for 1-2 days. (Or put in a dehydrator for 6-12 hours at 150°F.)

  7. If candied pieces are still tacky/sticky after initial sugar coating, toss them in sugar one more time and allow to dry for another 1-2 days on racks.

  8. Once dried, place in airtight container in refrigerator for long-term storage (more than 1 month). If you plan to eat them within a couple of weeks, you don't have to refrigerate them.