Old Fashioned Divinity – A Favorite Holiday Treat!

One of my absolutely favorite Christmas desserts is old fashioned divinity. It’s a light and fluffy sweet treat that my late grandma used to make every year around the holidays.

I can remember seeing those little white pillows sitting amongst all the other delicious sweet treats on her kitchen table adorned with a red and green tablecloth. It was definitely the first treat I made sure to grab every year because they would soon all be gone by other hungry family members.

If you’ve never had divinity, the best way I can describe it is like a little fluffy pillow of deliciousness! The consistency is like a mix between marshmallow, nugget, and fudge – minus the chocolate, of course.

Some people think divinity is a bit tricky to get just right, but I have made it loads of times by now and it turns out wonderful every time. The trick is to use a good stand mixer and a candy thermometer. Other than that, all you need is a little patience and one heck of a sweet tooth!

If you follow these steps just as written, you can enjoy old fashioned divinity that will taste just like grandma used to make! It will surely become one of your must-have desserts for your holiday table!

How To Make Old Fashioned Divinity

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients

To make old fashioned divinity, you only need five simple ingredients:

• Sugar – You want to use granulated sugar for this recipe.
• Corn Syrup – We want to use light corn syrup. I know there is some controversy over corn syrups, but since this is a once-a-year treat, I don’t mind adding it to my recipe. There is no good substitution. Go big or go home!
• Water – The water is added to help prevent the sugar and corn syrup from burning. Basic tap water is totally fine since the water will be heated.
• Egg Whites – Be sure to use eggs that are at room temperature. It will help them form stiff peaks quickly. We use our girls’s eggs straight from the coop when we can.
• Vanilla – Don’t skimp on this ingredient by using imitation. Use real vanilla if at all possible. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, use your own homemade vanilla!

As for equipment, you will need a 2 to 3-quart saucepan, a candy thermometer, and a stand mixer. You can try using a hand mixer, but I have heard horror stories about hand mixers burning up while beating divinity.

Instead, use a stand mixer if at all possible. It will not only save your arms from going limp from mixing for so long but also your appliances as well. My recipe calls for lots of breaks for your mixer to prevent it from getting too hot. (My stand mixer’s colorway isn’t listed, but this is the mixer I have and love – Product Link: KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Qt Stand Mixer)

Instructions For Old Fashioned Divinity

In a 2 to 3-quart saucepan, add together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Be sure to scrape the sides of the saucepan occasionally since the sugar can get built up on the edges and start to burn.

Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to high and stop stirring. Continue to heat the mixture over medium heat until a candy thermometer reaches 250º Fahrenheit (about 121º Celsius).

This is when the mixture reaches what’s referred to as the start of “hard ball” stage in candy making. It’s called that because if you were to drop a bit of the mixture into cold water, it would form a hard ball.

When you remove the ball from the water, it doesn’t flatten on its own. The ball will be hard but you can still flatten it if you press down on it with a spoon or fork. Candies like nougats, marshmallows, gummies, and divinity are all cooked to this stage.

You will often find the temperature labeled as “hard ball” on a candy thermometer. Since it begins at 250º F, it will be marked someplace between 250º and 265º F. (I have my late Grandma’s candy thermometer, but this is just like hers – Product Link: Taylor Stainless Steel Candy Thermometer)

Mix The Egg Whites & Combine With The Sugar

Right before the sugar reaches the hard ball stage, start to beat your egg whites in the stand mixer. Turn the mixer on high and use the whisk attachment to beat the eggs until they reach stiff peaks. (Product Link: KitchenAid Wire Whip for Tilt-Head Stand Mixer)

You can test if the egg whites are done by simply tilting the mixer head up. If the egg whites that stick to the whisk attachment stay at a stiff peak, they are good to go.

If the tip of the egg whites droops over, then you are at the soft peak stage and need to whisk them for just a little longer.

Stop the mixer until the sugar has reached the right temperature. Then, turn the mixer on to medium speed and whisk the egg whites while slowly adding the heated sugar.

And when I say slowly, I mean sloooowly. It should take you around 2 minutes to add the sugar. I like to set a timer just to force myself to go slow. Once all the sugar is in, add in the vanilla.

Keep On Mixing

Mix the divinity on medium speed for about 15 to 20 minutes. Every five minutes, stop the mixer and allow it to rest for 2 to 3 minutes. This will allow the divinity and the mixer to cool off a bit before starting again.

The goal is to reach a stage when the divinity loses its shiny glossy appearance and becomes matte. If you were to spoon out the divinity, it should hold its shape.

To help speed up the process, you can set up ice packs around the bowl of the mixer. This can be a bit cumbersome though.

Once the mixture is matte in appearance, add the nuts if doing so. (We prefer ours without nuts.)

Scooping Out The Old Fashioned Divinity

Now, work quickly and portion out the divinity onto wax paper. The divinity will start to set fast at this stage so you don’t want to mess around. There are really two good ways of doing this that I know of.

The fancy way is to use two greased spoons. Scoop out about a tablespoon of divinity with one spoon. Then, go back and forth between the spoons to shape the divinity into a smooth ball. Place it onto a sheet of wax paper.

The other way, and my preferred method, is to use a greased cookie scoop. It’s a lot faster, even though it might not result in super smooth divinity pieces. (We don’t mind a bit of rustic-looking treats. They all taste the same either way!)

The size I normally grab is 1.5 tablespoon. It provides the perfect size for around 50 bite-sized divinity pieces. (Product Link: Prep Solutions by Progressive Measuring Scoop)

Just plop them onto a sheet of wax paper after scooping. You may need to rinse off and re-grease the scoop a few times. If you wish to smooth out the tops, dip your finger in water and lightly press on the top right after scooping.

Setting & Storing

Allow the divinity to set for a few hours undisturbed on the wax paper before storing. If storing more than one row of treats, add a piece of wax paper in between the rows to prevent them all from sticking together. You can then store the divinity for up to two weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.

If you are looking for other holiday treats that our family enjoys, check out my Homemade Chocolate Fudge recipe, my Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, or my Soft & Chewy Scotcheroo recipe.

I hope you love this old fashioned divinity recipe as much as my family and I do! Maybe it will become a new favorite holiday sweet treat at your next family gathering! Enjoy!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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