Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (2024)

Jump to Recipe

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.

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (1)

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.

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (2)

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.

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (4)

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)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

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

More candy recipes you might like:

Chocolot Butter Toffee, Barbara Bakes
Black Licorice Caramels, Barbara Bakes
Peanut Butter Gianduja Chocolates, Barbara Bakes
Old Fashioned Potato Candy, Belly Full
Martha Washington Candies, Mom On Time Out

Pin It:

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (6)

Pin

Share

Tweet

Divinity Candy Recipe - Barbara Bakes™ (2024)

FAQs

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.

What is the difference between meringue and divinity candy? ›

In a meringue, the sugar syrup is cooked to about 240°F or until the sugar forms a soft, malleable ball when a spoonful is dropped in cold water. For divinity, the sugar is taken a bit further to 250°F (or the firm ball stage) where it can hold more structure.

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 candy is an old-fashioned confection made with very simple ingredients such as sugar, egg whites, water, vanilla, and corn syrup. It is nougat-like in texture, but slightly lighter, and nuts, dried fruit, or candy are often added.

Why is divinity candy so hard to make? ›

Divinity is a candy that is primarily made only around the Christmas holidays in the South. There are a number of reasons for that, the primary one being Southern weather, particularly in the Deep South where humidity rules the atmosphere most of the time. Humidity equals wet, and wet equals candy that often won't set.

Why is my divinity chewy? ›

Divinity is a nougat-like sugar candy that is aerated with egg-white foam. It's a cross between a meringue and a candy, and can be soft and chewy, or hard and crunchy depending on temperature and ratio of sugar syrup to egg whites.

Do you refrigerate divinity? ›

Store the divinity at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Make sure the environment is not humid, as excess moisture in the air will make the candy sticky.

How long does divinity last in the fridge? ›

Layer fudge pieces or divinity between waxed paper in an airtight container to prevent from quickly drying out. Store at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Why is divinity candy called divinity? ›

It's a billowy light, super-sweet, airy candy confection and it tastes...well, divine. Hence the name.

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 does divinity fail? ›

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 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 long can you store divinity candy? ›

Divinity Candy Tips

Improper storing is one of our top five candy-making mistakes. To ensure it stays fresh, store your divinity candy in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks.

Can you freeze divinity candy? ›

Long-term storage:

For longer storage, you can freeze the divinity candy. Place the candy in an airtight freezer-safe container lined with wax paper.

Is divinity the same as Turkish Delight? ›

Similar to Turkish Delight and other nougat/meringue-type candies, divinity is made by cooking sugar syrup until firm then beating whisked egg whites into it. Many believe that the name of this Southern confection is derived from how it tastes --"divine!"

Is divinity the same as marshmallow? ›

Old fashioned divinity is a vintage recipe for a meringue-based candy that I would describe as somewhere between fudge (even though there is no chocolate in most divinity, it is often even referred to as Divinity Fudge), nougat, and marshmallow.

What is the difference between fudge and divinity? ›

Typically known as "divinity," this fudge is unlike your average. This is because it's a fluffy white or artificially tinted fudge. Whereas traditional fudge is made from your usual baking ingredients (sugar, butter, milk and cream) -- divinity is created out of sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, and artificial flavoring.

Is divinity a type of nougat? ›

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Divinity is a nougat-like confection made with whipped egg white, corn syrup, and sugar. Optional ingredients such as flavors, chopped dried fruit and chopped nuts are frequently added.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Pres. Carey Rath

Last Updated:

Views: 6758

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Pres. Carey Rath

Birthday: 1997-03-06

Address: 14955 Ledner Trail, East Rodrickfort, NE 85127-8369

Phone: +18682428114917

Job: National Technology Representative

Hobby: Sand art, Drama, Web surfing, Cycling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Leather crafting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.