How to successfully make candied ginger? I tried to make candied ginger from fresh roots, but the result didn't turn out like I was expecting.

The recipe I followed had me simmer the slices of ginger in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar melted in water, for 35 minutes.

Then I leaved the slices to dry on a drying rack overnight. Then I rolled the pieces in sugar to coat them (I found the recipe online).

The result I was expecting to get is something very candied, almost transparent, like this piece (bought in a store):



what I actually ended up getting was much darker and the sugar didn't stick to the pieces at all:



It still tastes quite good, but it isn't as sweet as the one from the store, and didn't look quite as good.

I would love to know how to salvage this batch, or have more tips on  successfully candying ginger to a perfect result next time.
Boiling the ginger will help to make the ginger less spicy - the longer,the less spicy. I like my ginger with more of a bite, so I boil it for only 10 minutes. Then strain it through a collander, the way you would a pot of boiled pasta. Put the ginger back into the pot with equal portions of sugar and water - enough to fully cover the ginger - and boil to 225F. Lift the ginger out of the syrup with a slotted spoon and place it on a cooling rack. Coat in sugar. For greater detail, see this link: http://www.makeitlikeaman.com/2013/12/07/candied-ginger-2/