No-Nuts Divinity
No Southern candy has played a bigger role in my life than divinity. My grandmother Tom made it often, without a recipe in sight. She always added pecans, but I prefer it without nuts. I like to eat divinity without having to chew. I know now that divinity is not for the candy-making novice. You have to watch the clock, the thermometer, and the weather report. It will not set up if the humidity is too high, so wait for a dry, sunny day.
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
11/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Wax paper
1. Combine first 2 ingredients and 3/4 cup water in a 2-qt. heavy saucepan. Bring
to a rolling boil over medium heat without stirring; cook, brushing down any
sugar crystals on sides of pan using a pastry brush dipped in hot water, until a
candy thermometer registers 254° (about 19 minutes). Remove from heat.
2. Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer,
and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add
half of hot syrup in a thin, steady stream, beating constantly at high speed
(about 3 minutes).
3. Cook remaining half of syrup over medium heat until a candy thermometer
registers 270° (soft crack stage; about 4 minutes). Slowly pour hot syrup and
vanilla over egg white mixture in a thin, steady stream, beating constantly
at high speed until mixture holds its shape and begins to lose its gloss (5 to 7
minutes).
4. Working very quickly, drop mixture onto wax paper using 2 stainless-steel
spoons. Cool completely (about 10 minutes).
Makes: 11/2 lb.
Hands-on Time: 50 min. Total Time: 1 hr., 5 min.
Photo by Jennifer Davick from Around the Southern Table by Rebecca Lang (Oxmoor House, 2012).
Copyright 2012 Rebecca Lang. All rights reserved.
Please visit rebeccalangcooks.com for more information.
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