⅔ cup Pyure, Granular All Purpose Sweetener (divided)
5 cups water (divided)
Instructions
Wash the lemons well, using a scrubby sponge to clean the surface.
Slice lemons in ½ and juice. Reserve juice for other recipes.
Slice off the nub (where the lemon was attached to the three) at the tip, and then slice each half in quarters.
Hold the quarters flat on the cutting board peel or slice out the pulp.
You can use a melon-baller and start removing the pulp at the tip- then when enough to grab comes off you can peel the rest of the pulp off.
Slice the de-pulped lemon quarters into thin strips - about as wide as the lemon peel is thick.
For the Instant Pot:
Add the lemon peel strips and four cups of water. Place lid on you IP, lock into place and set to sealing.
Process on High Pressure for 3 minutes. Use short bursts to release pressure. Remove lid and strain and rinse peels. Discard cooking liquid then rinse your liner.
Using saute (medium) add ⅓ cup sweetener and 1 cup of water to your liner and cook for 5 min. Add lemon peels and stir to coat.
Place lid back on the IP and lock putting the vent into sealing.
Process on High pressure for 10 minutes. Allow to Natural pressure release.
Strain syrup from peels and reserve
For the Stove Top:
Bring water and lemon peel to a boil in a small pan. Drain water, and repeat with fresh cold water. Repeat the boiling step three times. Drain and set peels aside.
Combine 2 cups fresh water with ⅓ cups sweetener. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sweetener. Reduce heat to low and stir in citrus peels; simmer until the white pith is translucent. Store peels in syrup, refrigerated, to keep them soft, or allow them to dry.
Storage options:
Store peels in syrup, refrigerated, to keep them soft, or allow them to dry.
Gently toss peels in reserved ⅓ cup sweetener and place on a parchment lined sheet in the refrigerator and allow to cool for 4 hours uncovered.
The strips can be stored in a glass jar in a cool dry place for 6-8 weeks - or keep refrigerated for up to six months. If you live in a very humid climate, keep them in the refrigerator.
Notes
To get the peels a bit firmer you can allow them to dry overnight on a parchemnt lined sheet. Be sure to allow space between the peels so that the air can circulate and flip them after 12 hours.