When I was much younger, mom used to make Divinity every Christmas - and for years I've wanted to make it myself, but have been too scared to try it. I don't really recall much about my mother actually making the recipe, but I always remember the result...sugary sweet goodness that just melted on my tongue. I do know that Mom's original Divinity recipe came from the classic red and white checkered Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. In fact, I think just about all of her recipes came from that book. Like clockwork, every December it came out to signify the official start of baking season. The pages were worn and stained with various food splatters, and notes were scribbled in the margins of her favorite recipes - gentle reminders for each recipe to help ensure the best result possible. I remember looking through the book, marveling at the exotic words like Hollandaise, Coq au Vin and Beef Wellington. I would drool over the pictures, thinking I'd never be able to create all of these delicious foods. Fast forward 30+ years, and I can make Eggs Benedict with a delicious Hollandaise sauce, a perfectly braised Coq au Vin, and my husband will run people over to get to my Beef Wellington, but the idea of making Divinity still scared the crap out of me. But after the glowing success of my Candy Corn experiment back in October, this was the year I decided that I finally had the stones to give Divinity-making a try. At worst, I'd need to hire someone to scrape hardened sugar off the ceiling and go buy a new pot, or two, or stove.......so that's not too terrible...right?
(*spoiler alert...I didn't have to buy a new stove)
Couple of things before we get started...
First - you don't need a fancy mixer to make this recipe (despite what the interweb tries to tell you). Mom made this recipe back in the '70s with nothing more than a basic hand mixer and it always came out great. The mixer I use right now is a Sunbeam Hand and Stand that I got at a Black Friday sale for $20 at Target (you can still buy it HERE if you're interested), and it's been awesome.
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| This bad boy can seriously mix it up! |
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| Everything is in arm's reach and ready to rock! |
Whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks was the part that kinda freaked me out the most - mostly because I was afraid I was going to overwhip and end up with butter. And truthfully when I made this I think I only whipped the eggs to soft peaks, but the divinity still came out just fine. So if you err a little on the side of caution and have more soft to firm peaks than stiff, the recipe should still turn out OK.
Add in the syrup very slowly, and just a bit at a time at first - you don't want to cook the egg whites. Once you've tempered the eggs with the syrup, pour it in at a steady stream.
Finally - your divinity will be white-ish...but my sister reminded me that my mother used to make pink divinity using red food coloring (apparently she wasn't a fan of how green turned out). If you'd like to tint your candy, just add a drop or two of food coloring right after the vanilla.
And that's it; you're ready to make Divinity. And look...it only took you 10 minutes to prep versus my 10+ years...you're already rockin' at this! Hopefully you have foods from your childhood that bring back a slew of good memories whenever you eat them. And if you have the recipes but have been too afraid to make them, don't be. Dust off the cookbook, drag out the mixer, crank up the tunes and get to it. Because, and I kid you not, one bite of my Divinity and suddenly I was back in my mother's kitchen, Christmas music playing in the background, the smell of pine and sugar in the air, staring up at her in awe as she cooked and baked. Gobbling up each piece of everything she'd give me to "test", I remember thinking to my little 7-year old self that some day I would be as awesome a baker as she and make all these fabulous things in my very own kitchen.
I'm happy to tell my younger self that someday finally arrived....and it was delicious.
Divine Divinity
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups - granulated sugar
1/2 cup - light corn syrup
1/2 tsp - salt
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
handful of chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
On your countertop, lay out 1-2 feet of parchment or wax paper. If it's a humid and/or warm day, clear out the top shelf in your refrigerator and lay the wax/parchment paper on an upside down cookie sheet (so you can slide the paper easily into the 'fridge).
In a 2-qt saucepot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and water - clip on your candy thermometer (or have a thermometer available to hold by hand in the pot). Meanwhile, put your egg whites in your mixer - but don't start it up just yet.
Ready? Fire up the stovetop to medium! As the water heats, stir only until the sugar has melted (*turn on the mixer now to medium high), and then stir no more. Cook the syrup mixture to hard ball stage (260 degrees) - while your eggs whip to stiff peaks in the mixer.
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| Stiff peaks - picture courtesy of thekitchn.com |
Add vanilla and continue to beat until the candy starts to hold shape (for me, took about 10-12 minutes of solid mixing - but with a stronger mixer, it may take closer to 5-6). About 4 minutes in, toss in the nuts (if using). You'll know you're ready when the candy looks less glossy and slightly pulls away from the bowl. You can always stop the mixer and drop a piece on the paper to test. If it spreads out all over the paper, you still have a little ways to go...
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| nope...not yet |
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| Perfect! |
Allow to firm up on the counter (or 'fridge).
Store in airtight containers.
Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book circa 1970-ish. You can find the online version HERE
