Divinity

Divinity is another incredible, high maintenance Christmas candy, but Mom loves it as much as I do, so she never complains about making it.  While we do have a traditional family recipe for this, Mom prefers the recipe that is included in her mixer's cookbook.

Fair warning - Mom considers divinity "high maintenance" because it's difficult to make.  It's very finicky.  The humidity has to be very low, you have to whip it just enough, you have to use a candy thermometer to get the temperature just right, and pastry chef terminology (hard ball, soft peaks, etc.) comes into play.  It's something I'm afraid to try to make.  Fortunately, I don't have to because I live with Paula the master chef.

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, chopped

Begin by placing three cups of sugar, 3/4 cup of light corn syrup, and 1/2 cup of water into a heavy saucepan.  Cook,  stirring constantly, over medium heat to hard ball stage (248 degrees).  Remove the pan from heat and let it stand until the temperature of the mixture drops to 220 degrees without stirring.

Next, place two egg whites in a mixer bowl and whip on a high speed for about a minute, or until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the syrup mixture in a fine stream and whip for another two and a half minutes.

After a couple of minutes, turn the mixer to a medium speed.  Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture starts to become dry.  Finally, stir in one cup of chopped pecans and mix just until blended.

Drop mixture from a tablespoon onto waxed paper.  Allow the candies to air dry for 20-30 minutes, until they are cool and firm, but no until they become dry.  Store in at room temperature in an airtight container.

Have a merry Christmas Eve Eve!