Secrets of Divinity

I don't often blog about recipes on this blog, but I have to share the secrets of my Granny's divinity. She would make this candy every year at Christmas time. I don't know why we never made it throughout the year. It's a tough candy to make and you have to do it exactly right for it to turn out. Humidity levels can also affect this candy (or so I'm told, but I really think it's lots of patience). Here is the recipe (secrets in parenthesis):

5 C sugar

1 C water

1 C light corn syrup

2 or 3 egg whites, room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 c. chopped pecans

Combine sugar, water & syrup in large stock pot. Bring to a boil on high, stirring constantly. (Now one secret is that I let it come to a boil on medium to make sure I don't scorch it.) (Stop stirring,) switch to 3 and continue boiling to 236 degrees (soft ball stage).

Place egg white in large mixing bowl (preferably a nice KitchenAid) and beat on high until foamy. Add pinch of salt & beat until stiff enough to stand in peaks.

(Now all of this should come together at the same time - soft ball candy + egg whites stiff so that they're ready to blend together.)

Slowly (and sometimes stop) pour the syrup into the egg whites while continuing to beat until it is all poured in the mixing bowl. (The mixture will expand and look like it might overflow, just go slow until it all gets in the bowl.) Beat on high until it holds its shape (this could mean up to 20 minutes until the mixture has a very stiff peak & just starts to loose that shine).

Fold in the nuts & vanilla into the mixture. (Grab a friend or two and) drop in mounds from a teaspoon (using another teaspoon to push it off the first teaspoon) onto a greased baking sheet (or just wax paper that's not greased). Let dry over night & then turn them over to dry a little bit more.

And there you have it! A no fail divinity recipe. Enjoy!