Divinity is a fun candy made of little mounds of sugar, egg whites, corn syrup, and a little bit of nuts for a nice crunch for a delicious dessert recipe.
Don’t let the fact that you need to use a candy thermometer when making this easy divinity candy recipe make you nervous. It truly is super easy to make (even if it is the first time you’ve ever used a candy thermometer!).
These little candies are a perfect dessert recipe to give as gifts during Christmas time, especially since you can make this easy recipe ahead of time. The best part is, you can easily double the batch of divinity if you’d like depending on how many gifts you want to give.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Easy Divinity, you will need the following ingredients:
- Sugar: you will need white granulated sugar
- Corn syrup: be sure to have white light corn syrup
- Liquid: you will need to use cold water in this easy candy recipe
- Eggs: egg whites
- Extract: use vanilla extract for the best flavor of the homemade candy
- Nuts: you will use freshly chopped pecans for the best results
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How To Make Divinity:
- Prep. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
- Heat. In a 2 quart heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, and water over low heat until sugar dissolves. Stir constantly. You’ll want to heat this mixture to 260 F on a candy thermometer.
- Mix. Before the candy reaches 260, start beating the egg whites in a stand mixer or electric mixer on high speed until stiff egg whites form peaks.
- Pour. When the sugar syrup mixture reaches 260 F, slowly pour it into the beaten egg whites. Beat the mixture on high speed.
- Beat. Beat until the mixture is no longer glossy and holds it’s shape. This could take about 8 minutes.
- Fold. Fold in vanilla and nuts.
- Scoop. Spray 2 spoons with non stick cooking spray. Using these spoons drop by tablespoonfuls onto the lined cookie sheets.Work quickly as the divinity sets up fast.
- Rest. Let set for about 1 hour.
- Store. Store in an airtight container.
Optional add-ins:
- Peppermint extract
- Crushed candy canes
- Shredded coconut
- Diced gumdrops
- Dried fruit
- Flavored jello gelatin
- Food coloring
FAQs:
Old fashioned divinity is like fluffy nougat-like candy. It is very airy but melts in your mouth for a delicious candy to serve during the holiday season.
Meringue is only cooked to about 240 degrees F whereas divinity is cooked to 250 degrees F to more the firm hard ball stage of candy making making a firm candy in comparison to meringue.
Generally, this can take anywhere between 5-10 minutes with the whisk attachment depending on the temperature of the eggs and the low humidity and temperature of the room.
Not using a good candy thermometer for the exact temperature — not having the right temperature for the white sugar mixture will not get the candy to your desired temperature and not produce the candy you’re hoping for.
Using a metal spoon instead of a wooden spoon — candy mixture sticks less to a wooden spoon.
Not having a lot of patience — trying to rush the process will not get you the results that you want.
Storage Instructions:
Counter: The best way to store divinity is in an airtight container that is lined with waxed paper. It also stores wrapping it in wax paper and placing it in a ziploc bag. The wax paper prevents moisture from escaping.
Divinity is great in an airtight container for about 2 weeks at room temperature.
Freezer: It will also freeze well. Package it up well in a freezer-safe bag so moisture doesn’t get to it.
Enjoy More Delicious Copycat Candy Recipes
Making homemade candy makes us feel less guilty about our sweet tooth. Check out our comprehensive collection of candy recipes here.
- Copycat Disney Tigger Tails
- Homemade Big Hunk Candy Bars
- Homemade Reese’s Eggs
- Mickey Oreo Cookie Pops
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Hearts (Homemade Reese’s)
- Valentine’s Thin Mints
- Twix Bars
Easy Divinity
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup corn syrup
- ½ cup water
- 2 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
- In a 2 quart saucepan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, and water over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir constantly. You'll want to heat this mixture to 260 F on a candy thermometer.
- Before the candy reaches 260, start beating the egg whites in a stand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks begin to form.
- When the sugar mixture reaches 260 F, slowly pour it into the beaten egg whites. Beat the mixture on high speed.
- Beat until the mixture is no longer glossy and holds it's shape. This could take about 8 minutes.
- Fold in vanilla and nuts.
- Spray 2 spoons with non stick cooking spray. Using these spoons drop by tablespoonfuls onto the lined cookie sheets.
- Work quickly as the divinity sets up fast.
- Let set for about 1 hour.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
My divinity won’t set. It’s really runny
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. The weather can also effect candy making. Never make candy on a humid stormy day.
Why no cream of tartar in this recipe?
No Cream of Tartar is this divinity. You can simply omit cream of tartar from the recipe if you’re making whipped egg whites, syrups, frostings or icings. And this recipe has whipped egg whites.
When do you add vanilla
So good and so easy. I tried this with trepidation, but was surprised. Patience, though. It takes a long time to reach hard ball stage and it took a full 8 min. Beating in my Kitchenaid using the whisk.
In step #6 in the instructions.
I’m looking forward to trying this. I was wondering though if you had a recipe for a divinity pecan roll? Thanks so much for taking the time to share your ideas! 🙂
How long does it take to beat the egg whites to a stiff consistency? You instruct to start beating the whites before the sugar mixture reaches 260, but how long before? Will they still hold up if they are beaten too early? This will be my first attempt at divinity and I don’t want to fail. Thanks
While the other stuff is boiling you can start beating the egg whites and when they reach stiff peaks they are fine to just sit there for a few minutes.