Our Favorite Southern Candy
If you choose to make your own southern divinity candy, keep a few things in mind. First, if it’s raining don’t try to make divinity. Next, you’ll need to cook the candy to the hard ball stage. Candy has reached the hard ball stage when it will hold its shape when dropped into a cup of cold water.
After completion, the mixture hardens quickly, so you must work rapidly to drop the mixture onto waxed paper. Add a few drops of hot water if the mixture gets too thick before you are finished. If the mixture won’t hold up, beat again for one minute. Some recipes mention using two spoons to scrape the mixture onto the paper. With a twirling motion, you can create a swirl-like effect, similar to the peak of a cone of soft serve ice cream. Store the candy in a tightly-covered container.
Some folks will pour their divinity into a pan and let it harden before cutting, but no self-respecting Southerner would take that shortcut. You’ll want to make genuinely divine southern divinity.
Now without further ado, here are three different divinity candy recipes. The first is a no cook divinity which tastes pretty good but takes a day to make. Okay, you are not actually cooking the entire day. It’s just that the candy has to dry for 12 hours or more before you can eat it. Anyway, here goes:
No Cook Divinity
1 package (7.2 oz.) fluffy white frosting mix
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water
1 package (1 lb.) confectioners’ sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
Combine frosting mix (dry), corn syrup, vanilla and boiling water in small mixing bowl. Beat on highest speed until stiff peaks form, about five minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; on low speed or by hand gradually blend in confectioners’ sugar. Stir in nuts. Drop mixture by teaspoon onto waxed paper. When outside of candy feels firm, turn over and allow to dry at least 12 hours. Store candy in airtight container. Yields 5 to 6 dozen pieces.
The next recipe is a microwave divinity that is both easy and sure. Nothing fancy here, just great results.
Microwave Divinity Candy
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup of water
1 cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt
three eggs, whites only
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine sugar, water, syrup and salt in a medium sized casserole dish. Microwave on high for 20 minutes. Beat egg whites until stiff. Pour the hot mixture gradually over the egg whites, beating constantly and high-speed until the candy is thick and no longer glossy. Add the vanilla and nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper. Allow to harden. Eat.
Okay, last version. This is just traditional divinity candy, the kind your mama and grandma made. This is the one that will turn heads at the Christmas party. Thanks to my mother – this is the one she used.
Traditional Southern Divinity Candy
2 2/3 cup of sugar
2/3 cup white Karo
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Heat the water, syrup, and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Cook to hardball stage (a small amount drizzled into a cup of cold water will form a hard ball – you may need to test several times). Remove from heat.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Keep beating while you pour the syrup mixture slowly into the egg whites. Add vanilla. Continue to beat until the candy starts to become dull in appearance and is stiff enough that it starts to hold its shape. Fold in nuts. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Yields about four dozen.
Well, there you go. You choose which recipe will work best for you. I recommend trying all three. Several times, maybe. This is where the real challenge lies – testing and retesting. Let your family and friends help. Great divinity candy is well worth such anguish!
“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.” Erma Bombeck
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