Easy Divinity Candy Recipe
on Jun 24, 2022, Updated Jul 19, 2024
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This Easy Divinity Candy Recipe makes a smooth, pure white candy that tastes delicious and is easy to make. This sweet candy is really popular in the South and is a holiday classic for Christmas. It is a fun little vintage treat because of its divine taste and easy prep, and people rave about it!
I read somewhere that when someone first tasted this nougat-like candy, they exclaimed that it was “Divine.” Hence, the name Divinity. It is most popular in the South, and if you ask anyone from there, they will tell you that it is a recipe their grandmothers made frequently.
Divinity is light, airy, and super sweet. It reminds me of a cross between fudge, nougat, and a marshmallow. It is made from sugar, corn syrup, water, and egg whites. You can get creative with Divinity by adding in fruit and nuts or just keep it simple with vanilla. Either way, these little mounds are perfect for when you need a sweet treat.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s great for gifting because it looks impressive, even though it isn’t difficult to make.
- It has a unique, light, airy texture, delicious, sweet flavor, and a classic holiday treat for so many people!
- They go great on Christmas treat plates with my easy chocolate fudge, cinnamon candied almonds, and peanut brittle.
Recipe Ingredients
- Egg Whites
- Sugar
- Light Corn Syrup:
- Vanilla
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Divinity
- Beat the egg whites and salt in a stand mixer on high until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup and cook until it “spins a thread.”
- Turn the mixer on high, add the syrup and vanilla, and continue mixing.
- Remove from mixer and drop it onto the parchment. Let it set at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
They are similar in that they are both made with sugar and egg whites. However, their textures are different. When making Divinity, the sugar syrup is cooked to 250 degrees so that it is firmer and has more structure than meringues.
Divinity is best when eaten within two weeks. After that, it will harden too much and be less delectable. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, or freeze for up to two months.
Divinity will be a little bit sticky to work with. I like to use the 2 spoon technique. One spoon to scoop and the other to get the candy off.
Expert Tips
- One of the most difficult parts of making these airy, little mounds is knowing when they are done. When mixing the divinity candy, watch for it to lose its sheen and glossy appearance. When it isn’t sticky anymore, it is ready to drop mounds onto the pan to set up. If you find that when you lift the beaters, the candy continues to fall into the bowl in a ribbon-like fashion, then you need to keep mixing a bit longer.
You can also make a test mound by dropping a spoonful on wax paper. If the mound holds its shape, it is ready. If the divinity spreads into a puddle, it will need to be beaten more. - The weather can affect how your Divinity turns out. If you can, try to make divinity on a cool day with low humidity. Sugar attracts water so humidity will indeed affect how your divinity turns out. You can run into issues on high humidity days.
- Consider investing in a high quality candy thermometer. Being able to get accurate readings when making candy makes a huge difference!
More Candy Recipes to Consider
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Divinity Candy
Ingredients
- 2 room temperature egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Before beginning, prepare a place to spoon out the divinity, by placing a large sheet of parchment or wax paper on the counter and place 2-4 regular spoons on it.
- Beat egg whites and salt in a stand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- In 3 quart saucepan combine sugar, water, and corn syrup
- Cook over medium high heat until it “spins a thread”.
- This can be determined by using a candy thermometer and cooking until it reaches 220-230, or when you pull a spoon out of the syrup and let the liquid drip off the sugar forms what looks like thread hanging off the spoon. You are looking for threads that are 2-3 inches long.
- Once this stage is reached immediately turn your mixer with the egg whites to high and slowly add sugar syrup in a very slow steady stream. Move quickly at this stage you don’t want your sugar to have a chance to continue cooking.
- Add vanilla and continue whipping on high until the mixture holds a peak. You are looking for it to lose a little bit of shine and if you pull a spoon out a little mountain forms on the spoon. This is generally 5 minutes of mixing (over mixing can cause the end candy to be crumbly)
- Quickly take it off the mixer and using regular spoons scoop out little balls of mixture and place on prepared parchment paper. They should have a nice bent over peak (as seen in the pictures).
- Let set at room temperature until fully set.
Video
Notes
- No amount of yolk can be in the egg whites. If you break the yolk and even get a streak of yellow in the egg whites, the fat of the yolk will prevent them from whipping to stiff peaks.
- You also need to work with very clean bowls/whisks/etc. when whipping your egg whites because any grease left on the bowls or beaters will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.
- It’s a little tricky to know when the divinity is done, it takes a little practice to get a feel for it in my opinion. That being said, if you undercook it, you’ll have divinity that is a little soft and sticky, and if you overcook it, you’ll have divinity that is a little dry or chalky. They still taste great even if the texture isn’t pillowy smooth. We’ve never thrown a “bad batch” away 🙂
- This recipe is from my sister-in-law Beth, who got it from her Grandmother. It’s an old family favorite that probably looks a lot like your family’s recipe.
I tried 4 different recipes before finding this one- I agree this recipe is the best- turned out perfectly and instructions were so easy
Just like my mom’s recipe! We used a butter vanilla baking emulsion instead of vanilla extract this time and it turned out fantastic!
Perfect! I make divinity every year and the one year I “failed” we used the softer version as a topping on hot cocoa!