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!  🙂

 

 

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