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This iconic divinity candy is popular during the holiday season for good reason! You’ll love the pillowy, cloud-like mounds scented with vanilla and loaded with chopped pecans.
If you love making homemade candy, you have to try my old-fashioned divinity recipe. Divinity is a sweet, chewy, airy confection made with whipped egg whites, sugar syrup, vanilla, and chopped pecans. It’s sort of like a marshmallow and nougat hybrid!
While this recipe is easy to make from scratch, I have one big tip: Use a candy thermometer. I can’t stress enough how important it is for the sugar syrup to reach the perfect temperature! A reliable candy thermometer takes out the guesswork and makes this recipe a breeze. For more candy recipes, try my classic fudge recipe, chewy caramels, and peppermint patties.
Ingredients
Egg whites — you’ll beat the egg whites until fluffy, which gives divinity its cloud-like, fluffy texture.
Sugar — granulated sugar is cooked with water and turned into the sugar syrup that will set the candy.
Corn syrup — use light corn syrup, not dark corn syrup (which has a stronger flavor and dark color). Corn syrup prevents sugar crystals from forming in the hot sugar mixture.
Vanilla — vanilla extract adds a wonderful aroma to the divinity candy.
Pecans — finely chop up pecans for an addictive crunchy element in the candy.
How To Make Divinity Candy
1. Get your workstation ready by lining a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper lightly spritzed with baking spray. In a medium pot, combine the sugar, water, salt, and corn syrup and place over medium heat.
2. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
3. Once the sugar syrup comes to a boil, stop stirring and use your candy thermometer to keep track of the heat. Remove the pot from heat immediately when it reaches 255°F (hard ball stage).
4. When the sugar mixture nears 230°F, beat the egg whites on high speed to stiff peaks so that the eggs and the sugar mixture are ready at the same time.
5. As soon as the hot syrup reaches 255°F, slowly drizzle it in a thin stream into the beaten egg whites while the mixer runs on high. Beat for 4 to 5 minutes or until the glossy appearance starts to fade. Spoon a test portion onto the baking sheet and see if it holds its shape. If it does, the candy is ready, and you should immediately mix in the vanilla extract and pecans.
6. Turn the mixer off and use two spoons to portion out 1 to 2 tablespoon-sized little mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow to set before enjoying.
Test To See If The Candy Is Ready
You can tell the divinity mixture is ready when the gloss starts to fade. A simple test you can do to make sure it’s ready is to dollop a small amount onto parchment paper. If it holds its shape, it’s ready. If it sinks into a puddle, it is not ready yet and should be mixed more.
Scoop It Quickly
Divinity sets up fast! Make sure your baking sheet is ready and lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper with a light spritz of baking spray. Scoop it quickly after adding the vanilla and nuts.
This is a great time to enlist extra helpers in the kitchen! And don’t worry about the shape you’re scooping. The less-than-uniform shape is part of what makes divinity so pretty, so don’t spend time trying to make each scoop perfect!
Variations
- Use different mix-ins: There are so many things you could add to divinity! Different toasted nuts, crushed candy canes, dried cranberries or candied ginger, and shredded coconut all work beautifully.
- Add other flavorings: For a twist on the classic vanilla flavor, add ½ to 1 teaspoon of peppermint, almond, orange, lemon, or another extract of your choice.
- Add color: While I love the iconic snowy white color of this candy, you can add a few drops of food coloring to give it a pretty hue.
- Decoration: Top the divinity candy with decorative sprinkles or a pecan half.
- Mold it: To make this divinity recipe in a pan that can be cut into pieces instead of forming individual pieces, grease and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper. Transfer the candy mixture to the pan and smooth it into an even layer. I like to top it with whole pecans, making five rows of five equally spaced apart. Once cooled, remove the slab from the pan and cut between the pecans to create 25 squares.
How To Store
Divinity candy will keep well for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. It’s perfect for gifting during the holidays because it keeps so well! To absorb any excess moisture in the container, add a small bowl filled with rice to the container with the candy. You can also fill a clean tea bag with rice for this purpose.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- A note about the weather: If possible, make this easy divinity candy recipe on a day with low humidity. High humidity can affect how the divinity sets and make the outside sticky instead of firm.
- You’ll need to use a stand mixer to make this. Motors in handheld electric mixers tend to be much weaker and since this is a very thick and sticky consistency, a hand mixer will probably struggle.
- A reliable candy thermometer is a must. It’s essential that the sugar reaches the correct temperature or the candy might not set properly.
- Timing tip: Wait until the sugar has reached 230°F to whip the egg whites. You want the sugar mixture and egg whites to be ready at the same time.
- Work quickly once the candy is ready. Make sure to have your silicone mat, wax paper, or parchment-lined baking tray ready before starting. You have to work quickly to avoid the candy setting in the bowl.
- Divinity makes an excellent cookie tin addition. Add it to your holiday tin along with other favorites like toffee, peppermint bark, gingerbread cookies, and eggnog cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it can be frozen, it gets quite sticky when defrosted. It’s best to enjoy it fresh or within 2 weeks.
The candy firms up so fast that I do not recommend it. The spoon method works like a charm every time!
If your sugar syrup is not cooked to the correct temperature, the divinity will turn out runny and will not firm up. The syrup needs to reach 255°F for the perfect homemade divinity candy. A candy thermometer is so important for this recipe because the syrup temperature needs to be exact.
If you’ve tried this divinity recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Divinity Recipe
Equipment
- Candy thermometer
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar (450g)
- ½ cup water (120ml)
- ½ cup light corn syrup (120ml)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (5ml)
- 1½ cups pecans finely chopped (180g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper lightly spritzed with baking spray.
- Separate the egg whites and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- In a medium pot, stir to combine the sugar, water, salt, and corn syrup and place over medium heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and use your candy thermometer to keep track of the heat. Remove the pot from heat immediately when it reaches 255°F. When the sugar mixture nears 230°F, beat the egg whites on high speed to stiff peaks.
- As soon as the sugar mixture reaches 255°F, remove it from the heat and slowly drizzle it into the egg whites while the mixer runs on high. This will take a few minutes as you will be drizzling a thin stream into the egg whites.
- Beat for 4-5 minutes or until the glossy appearance starts to fade. Spoon a test portion onto the baking sheet and see if it holds its shape.
- Immediately mix in the vanilla and pecans then turn mixer off and use two spoons to portion out 1-2 tablespoon-sized pieces onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Allow to set before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- A note about the weather: If possible, make this easy divinity candy recipe on a day with low humidity. High humidity can affect how the divinity sets and make the outside sticky instead of firm.
- You’ll need to use a stand mixer to make this. Motors in handheld electric mixers tend to be much weaker and since this is a very thick and sticky consistency, a hand mixer will probably struggle.
- A reliable candy thermometer is a must. It’s essential that the sugar reaches the correct temperature or the candy might not set properly.
- Timing tip: Wait until the sugar has reached 230°F to whip the egg whites. You want the sugar mixture and egg whites to be ready at the same time.
- Work quickly once the candy is ready. Make sure to have your silicone mat, wax paper, or parchment-lined baking tray ready before starting. You have to work quickly to avoid the candy setting in the bowl.
- Divinity makes an excellent cookie tin addition. Add it to your holiday tin along with other favorites like toffee, peppermint bark, gingerbread cookies, and eggnog cookies.
Nutrition
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