Homemade Divinity
This delightful confection is truly divine, and crafting it has become one of my cherished holiday traditions. In my recipe, I opt for granulated Splenda and sugar-free pancake syrup, although you may choose to use granulated sugar and corn syrup if you so desire.
Ingredients:
3 cups of granulated Splenda, or sugar
2/3 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar-free pancake syrup, or maple syrup, honey, or corn syrup
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 cup of chopped nuts; you can use pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, or shaved almonds. (Optional)
About a 1/2 cup of whole pieces of pecans for embellishing the divinity (optional)
Instructions:
First, lay a large piece of wax paper on your countertop or table.
Now, start by adding 3 cups of granulated Splenda, or sugar, inside a heavy-bottom saucepan. Then add 2/3 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar-free pancake syrup, or corn syrup. Transfer the pan to a burner, bringing the mixture to the hard ball stage (255 degrees) on medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. Then continue to cook the mixture until the mixture reaches the hard ball stage (255 degrees).
In a bowl, add two egg whites. Beat the egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form while you're cooking the syrup mixture.
When the syrup mixture reaches the hard ball stage, slowly add it to the egg white mixture while continuously beating it with the mixer. Once the mixture is stiff and loses its glossiness, add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and 1 cup of chopped nuts. Stir well.
Note: Adding the chopped nuts is completely optional. The divinity turns out nicely with or without them added.
Quickly, scoop a tablespoon of divinity into individual pieces and place them on waxed paper. I like to scoop the candy up quickly and shape it into ball-shaped pieces, but that's optional. You have to work very quickly with the divinity because it stiffens up extremely fast.
Add whole pecans (optional) to enhance the divine flavor of your candy (optional). In just a few short minutes, your divinity will be perfectly set. So, don't waste any time.
Note:
If your divinity fails to thicken and harden, add a couple of tablespoons of sugar-free powdered sugar, or regular powdered sugar to it. Then beat your divinity again.
Happy holidays!