Old-Fashioned Divinity Candy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between meringue and divinity candy? ›

Divinity Candy Versus Meringue

In a meringue, the sugar syrup is cooked to about 240°F or until the sugar forms a soft, malleable ball when a spoonful is dropped in cold water. For divinity, the sugar is taken a bit further to 250°F (or the firm ball stage) where it can hold more structure.

Divinity is a confection made from egg whites, corn syrup, and sugar. It's similar to nougat, fudge, or marshmallow. Tip: replace the sugar with brown sugar to create "sea foam." Other ingredients can be used to give the candy other tastes, like chopped dried fruit and chopped nuts.

If your divinity candy fails to harden, add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and beat again. Allow it to rest for about 15 minutes. This will absorb more moisture and will allow your sweet treat to harden.

There could be several reasons that your divinity did not turn out fluffy: The syrup was not at the right temperature when it was added to the egg whites. The egg white and syrup mixture was not beaten long enough. The humidity was too high.

Why is my Divinity chewy or crumbly? If the texture of your divinity just isn't right, it may be that your temperature was off. Make sure to cook your sugar syrup to 260°F, and beat your egg white-syrup mixture until it loses its glossy sheen for the right final consistency.

IS DIVINITY NOUGAT? Not exactly, but it's nougat-like. It has the same ingredients: egg whites, corn syrup, sugar, and flavoring (most often vanilla but almond, cherry (photo #6) orange, peppermint, and other flavors work).

Consider this: divinity hates humidity. It's best to make divinity on a cool, dry day. If it's humid (over 50%) or rainy, the candy might end up with a more gooey, or grainy texture.

Divinity should be dry and set within two hours, but have patience. It may take a little longer. If you would like to try correcting a thin divinity, beat in a little bit of powdered sugar at a time until the consistency is drier and thicker, before dropping onto sheets of waxed paper again to dry.

Believe it or not the weather can have a huge impact on the quality of Divinity. Extremely humid days can cause Divinity to become too moist. In other words, fall flat and be too sticky.

Now, making divinity comes with all kinds of warnings about humidity and weather. You can't make it if it is "too" humid or if it's raining. The moisture in the air will keep the candy from setting and drying properly.

Is divinity candy safe to eat? ›

Dry meringue shells, which are baked in the oven, are safe. Divinity candy is also safe. Avoid icing recipes using uncooked eggs or egg whites. However, "seven-minute frosting," made by combining hot sugar syrup with beaten egg whites, is safe.

Important: Beat the mixture until it begins to dull and no longer has a sheen. Just like any other divinity, you must beat it long enough, so don't lose patience with the process! Mixture will thicken once you beat in enough cool air and it begins to look dull and not shiny.

Because of the high sugar content, divinity needs dry air to dry itself. On high humidity days, the divinity will absorb moisture from the air. This means the divinity will have a gooey texture to it.

Is Divinity the Same as Meringue? No, while, like nougat, divinity and meringue share the similar ingredients of sugar and whipped egg whites, meringue doesn't require the sugar be turned into a syrup. It's simply whipped together and baked. Divinity is not baked at all.

KitchenAid recommends using the wire whip for making divinity candy.

Two common types of meringue are French and Swiss. The main ingredients are the same, but the techniques are varied, resulting in differences of texture, stability and best uses in desserts. Read on and watch our video to learn how to make French and Swiss meringues.

The second key difference is the ratio of egg white to sugar syrup. In an Italian meringue, you use 4 egg whites to 250g sugar, but with nougat, it's 2 egg whites to around 550g of sugar. Again, this ratio means you have a much higher sugar concentration, and hence a much denser end product.

Meringue describes a dessert or candy made from whipping egg whites with sugar. From pavlovas to pie toppings, to silky smooth frostings, meringue can be used in various ways when it comes to baking.

What Is a Macaron? A macaron is a meringue-based sandwich cookie made with almond flour, egg whites, confectioners' sugar, and food coloring. Common fillings include buttercream, ganache, and fruit-based jam. The meringues have smooth tops, ruffled edges (called the "crown," "foot," or "pied"), and flat bottoms.