I must admit that I’m not the best at recycling, re-purposing, or re-using..it’s not something I’m proud of, but I chalk it up to classic laziness! So it was a strange day when suddenly I was faced with a little guilt for almost throwing away a perfectly pretty, hollowed out Watermelon! Maybe it’s because Watermelon is my favorite summer fruit, or maybe it’s simply because I had an idea pop into my head that could possibly (I wasn’t sure) transform it into an entirely new sweet, refreshing and summery snack!
Candied rind was on my mind! 🙂 I mean, Citrus gets to be candied right?! So this refreshing, beautiful fruit rind deserves a second chance at life too, at least for a few minutes until it gets gobbled up! It’s so sweet and refreshing all at the same time, with the most unique chewy texture! And the Mint Sugar..Mmm! It just adds the perfect cool, crisp bite! These tasty beauties are a bit deceiveing too..much like a snake, once they’re dry, they look slimy and wet, but they aren’t! How fun is that?! 🙂
Watermelon & Mint together is just the way it should be, always..lol! Oh My WOW! This post is almost 2 recipes/techniques in one..since you can do SO many things with this minty cool, and fun sugar! Keep an adorable jar of this beautiful sugar on your counter for tea, all kinds of baked goods, or even a quick Mojito..oh yeah! 🙂
What you’ll need:
Some Watermelon Rind, about 4 cups sliced..a little goes a VERY long way after its sliced up!
2 Cups of Water
4 Cups of Sugar
1 Cup of Fresh Mint + 1 Cup of Sugar..for the Mint Sugar Topping!
Directions..it’s kind of a time consuming process, but super simple:
Slice the rind into approx. 1/2″ thick and 3″ long slices..prepare about 4 cups worth of slices..keep just a little red on there for extra pretty! 🙂
In a medium pot add 4 cups of sugar and 2 cups water. Stir to dissolve the sugar, let it boil for 5 minutes.
Add in the rind and turn the heat to a low simmer..cook uncovered for about an hour, until the sugar/water reduces and thickens up!
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool, then drain the rind in a colander…set aside.
Make the Mint sugar!
In a Food Processor, pulse 1 cup of fresh mint with 1 cup of white sugar until well combined..that’s it! It smells beyond incredible!
In a medium bowl, dredge the cooled rind with the Mint Sugar, and place a single layer onto a parchment lined baking sheet..
Place the sugar coated rind in a low (200 degrees) oven to dry out..this takes about 2 hours or so..and I even needed to leave them out over night on the counter to dry up some more! It takes a while for them to fully dry! They’re totally worth the wait..or the sticky fingers of you can’t! 😉
Store them in a dry location, and you’ll have them on hand to dip in chocolate, use in cakes, cookies, breads or amazing snacking!
~Enjoy this unique, super summery snack! 🙂
YUM, definately giving this a whirl 🙂
I’ve always seen pickled watermelon rind, but candied? That’s what I’m talking about!
Trying this now! Thank you so much for the great idea! I definitely got online thinking it would say watermelon rinds were good for plants or something LOL
Great way to use up that watermelon rind without resorting to the typical “picked watermelon rind”. My changes: I lined a cookie sheet with foil and placed a baking cooling rack on top, and then placed the watermelon rind on it before putting it in the oven. This ensures that both sides of the watermelon dry out completely, and not just the top. I baked my watermelon for @ 4 hours to achieve the dryness I was looking for. Well worth the wait. I didn’t need to use all of the mint sugar, and used some of it to make fresh squeezed lemonade. FYI: leftover mint sugar will keep indefinitely if you store it in an airtight container in your pantry – great for lemonade and tea.
Thanks for the extra information, I will be giving this a go, yum!
Vera , what temperature do you bake the watermelon rind @ 4 hrs…..please reply, awaiting your answer as I’m in the process of cutting up my watermelon at the moment thx
In Zimbabwe we called this watermelon konfyt and it is nummy.
Wow! Candied watermelon rinds sound soooo delicious. Just wondering if there’s substitutes for white sugar?
From a health standpoint, it is my understanding that processed sugar feeds cancer and isnot recommended for diabetics. Can honey or other non-carcinogenic sweetners be used instead? If so, what quantities work best?
I’m afraid these were much too sweet for me. I’d like to try again because I think it’s a great idea and the texture was a delight, but I’d use a LOT less sugar and probably add some lemon juice to introduce a flavor other than straight sugar. Maybe some ginger? I also thought about adding watermelon juice, but I’m not sure what that would do to the lovely color of the rind. This is a fantastic idea, though, I look forward to finding a balance of flavor that works better for me.