Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (2024)

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Thisdivinity candy recipe is a classic, old-fashioned candy recipe that my kids request every year. It’s the perfect treat to give to neighborsor friends.

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Before we got married, my husband made divinity, and he’s made it for Christmas every year since we got married. My recipe is slightly adapted from the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook we received as a gift at our wedding.

My kids grew up eating divinity, and it just wouldn’t be Christmas for them without it.

What Is Divinity

According to Wikipedia,divinity is a nougat-like confection made with egg white, corn syrup, and sugar. It’s softer than most store-bought nougats but not as soft as a marshmallow. It’s very sweet and sort of melts in your mouth when you’re eating it.

Often nuts, especially pecans in the South, are added to divinity. However, my family prefers it without nuts. (Two of my grown kids still don’t care for nuts.) If your family loves nuts, definitely add them.

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How to Make Divinity

Making divinity isn’t difficult, especially if you have a stand mixer and an instant-readthermometer. You can use a hand-held mixer to beat your egg whites and do the initial mixing, but once the divinity gets thick and creamy, you’ll have to finish mixing it by hand. The hand mixer motor isn’t strong enough to beat it when it’s thick.

It’s important to cook the sugar mixture to 260°F or until asmall amount of the hot sugar mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball that holds its shape but is pliable.

Next, you’ll beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the egg whitesare whipped, you’ll continue beating while you slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the whipped egg whites.

Lastly, you’ll beat in the vanilla extract and stir in the nuts, if using. Instead of using traditional vanilla extract, I used aclear vanilla extract so my divinity is a brighter white.

Once the divinity has thickened to a creamy consistency, you need to quickly divide it into individual portions. We’ve found it’s easiest if you use two spoons to portion it out.

Use one spoon to scoop up the divinity and a second spoon to push the scoop off of the spoon on to the parchment paper. You could also spoon it onto a Silpat or wax paper.

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How to Store Divinity

Let the divinity set up on the parchment paper for about an hour or two. You want to wait until it’s no longer sticky and removes easily from the parchment paper.

Store the divinity in an airtight container. Or, we prefer to wrap the divinity in plastic wrap in individual servings. Then the divinity stays softer and is easy to give away as gifts.

When I’m making it for the kids, we generally skip the plastic wrap and use small size sandwich bags.

I decided to put my divinity candy recipe on Barbara Bakes so the recipe would be easy for my kids to find and make themselves one day with their kids. I hope you’ll give the recipe a try too.

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (5)

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Divinity Candy Recipe

Course: Dessert

Servings: 4 dozen candies

Calories: 69kcal

Author: Barbara Schieving

Ingredients

  • 2 ⅔ cups sugar
  • cup light corn syrup
  • ½ cup water**
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 ½ teaspoons clear vanilla extract*
  • cup coarsely chopped nuts optional

Instructions

  • Stir sugar, corn syrup and water over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring to 260ºF on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball that holds its shape but is pliable.

  • Beat egg whites in a stand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed. Add vanilla. Beat until mixture holds its shape and becomes slightly dull. (If mixture becomes too stiff for your mixer, you'll need to beat it by hand.) Gently stir in nuts if using.

  • Use two spoons to push dollops of candy onto parchment paper or a Silpat. Let stand at room temperature until candies feel firm. Store in airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap to give as gifts.

Notes

*Can sub traditional vanilla extract

**Use 1 tablespoon less water on humid days and let dry longer on parchment paper

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 11mg | Sugar: 15g

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FAQs

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™? ›

Divinity is a confection made from egg whites, corn syrup, and sugar. It's similar to nougat, fudge, or marshmallow. Tip: replace the sugar with brown sugar to create "sea foam." Other ingredients can be used to give the candy other tastes, like chopped dried fruit and chopped nuts.

What is divinity candy made of? ›

Divinity is a confection made from egg whites, corn syrup, and sugar. It's similar to nougat, fudge, or marshmallow. Tip: replace the sugar with brown sugar to create "sea foam." Other ingredients can be used to give the candy other tastes, like chopped dried fruit and chopped nuts.

Why is my divinity not fluffy? ›

There could be several reasons that your divinity did not turn out fluffy: The syrup was not at the right temperature when it was added to the egg whites. The egg white and syrup mixture was not beaten long enough. The humidity was too high.

Is divinity candy the same as nougat? ›

Divinity has a sweet and creamy flavor with hints of vanilla, while nougat offers a sweet and nutty taste.

Does humidity affect making divinity candy? ›

Consider this: divinity hates humidity. It's best to make divinity on a cool, dry day. If it's humid (over 50%) or rainy, the candy might end up with a more gooey, or grainy texture.

Why won't my divinity candy set up? ›

Now, making divinity comes with all kinds of warnings about humidity and weather. You can't make it if it is "too" humid or if it's raining. The moisture in the air will keep the candy from setting and drying properly.

Why is divinity hard to make? ›

As sugar attracts water, any humidity or moisture in the air can affect how your divinity turns out. Divinity should be dry and set within two hours, but have patience.

Why can't you make divinity on a rainy day? ›

Because of the high sugar content, divinity needs dry air to dry itself. On high humidity days, the divinity will absorb moisture from the air. This means the divinity will have a gooey texture to it.

Why is my divinity chewy? ›

Corn Syrup – This is added to stop the sugar from crystalizing giving you a very smooth, chewy texture that's not grainy. Sugar – White granulated sugar is the best for this recipe, avoid brown sugar or it'll affect both the taste and look of the divinity.

Does divinity need to be refrigerated? ›

Divinity candy can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. It can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. If you are storing divinity candy in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before cutting it into squares.

What is the best way to store Divinity candy? ›

Divinity candy stays fresh even at room temperature for 10 to 14 days. The heat from the sugar syrup removes the danger of the egg content spoiling. To store the divinity candy, line an airtight storage container with wax paper.

What if my divinity is too dry? ›

How To Handle Overly Dry Divinity. If you find that your Divinity candy has turned out too dry (left hand side of image above), work as quickly as possible to spoon the pieces out onto the parchment paper. Let the candy sit out just until it has cooled and then immediately transfer to an air tight container.

Is divinity the same as marshmallow? ›

Divinity, nougat and marshmallow all belong to the same crystalline candy family and all three are very, very close in terms of texture, flavor and technique. Divinity is tempermental, so NEVER make it on a wet and rainy day.

What to do with failed divinity? ›

You can sometimes correct a divinity fail. If it is too stiff, add very hot water, beating in a half tablespoon at a time until it reaches a fluffy consistency. If it is too thin and does not set, try adding 1/2 tablespoon at a time of powdered sugar until it thickens.

Why is my divinity runny? ›

And don't try making divinity when the humidity is above 60%. No matter how long you beat the mixture, it will remain too runny to form into mounds.

How to thicken divinity? ›

But if your divinity fails to harden, you can beat in two tablespoons of powdered sugar and allow the mixture to rest a few minutes; if the candy hardens too much, you can blend in hot water a tablespoon at a time until the perfect, fluffy consistency is reached.

How long does it take for divinity to set up? ›

If you choose to spread the divinity in a pan, you will have to wait up to 24 hours before it is set and ready. Makes about 4 dozen candies.

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