Food and Recipes Desserts Candy Peppermint Divinity Recipe 5.0 (1) 1 Review How could a plump, snowball-shaped confection with the celestial name "divinity" fall completely out of favor, losing its prized spot on the Christmas dessert table in a few decades' time? Traditionally studded with pecans and swiftly made from a few simple ingredients, divinity is a delightful turn-of-the-century heirloom worth restoring to its former lofty place. We've tweaked our usual old fashioned divinity recipe by swapping out the nuts for crushed peppermint candies. Divinity requires advance planning and dry, sunny weather to turn out well. Once made, the candies hold nicely for up to a week, so check the forecast and choose your "divinity day." By Nancie McDermott Nancie McDermott Nancie McDermott has been a cookbook author, food writer, and cooking teacher for twenty-five years. She has written for Southern Living, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cooks Illustrated, and Fine Cooking. Nominated for a James Beard award in Journalism and an IACP Cookbook Award, she the author of thirteen cookbooks. Southern Living's editorial guidelines and Jill O'Connor Jill O'Connor Jill O'Connor is a Le Cordon Bleu trained pastry chef with over 25 years experience in food writing and recipe development. She is the author of seven cookbooks and her book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth was named one of the 25 Best of the Best cookbooks for Food & Wine magazine in 2008. For the last 10 years she has been a monthly contributor to the food page of the San Diego Union Tribune and her work has been published in magazines including Southern Living, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on November 6, 2018 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins Yield: 24 candies Ingredients 2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup water 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup finely chopped hard peppermint candies or candy canes, divided Directions Stir together sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan; attach a candy thermometer to side of pan. Place pan over medium-high, and cook, gently stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Once sugar syrup is clear and thickened, cook, undisturbed, until thermometer reaches 255°F (hard-ball stage), about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Place egg whites in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high, and beat until egg whites are thick and stiff and able to hold a soft peak. With mixer running on low speed, carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl into beaten egg whites, pouring slowly and steadily. Use only the syrup that pours easily out of pan into bowl (no need to scrape pan). (Expect steam and the aroma of egg whites cooking in the syrup's heat.) Increase speed to high, and continue beating until syrup is well incorporated into egg whites. Stop just long enough to scrape down sides of bowl, and add vanilla. Continue beating on high speed until the mixture begins to lose its gloss and shine and is thick enough to hold its shape rather than pool into a puddle, 6 to 10 minutes. Add 1⁄2 cup chopped peppermint candy, and beat on medium speed just until evenly combined. Remove bowl from mixer, and use 2 spoons to quickly scoop out small balls of candy (about 1 tablespoon each), placing them on prepared baking sheets; don't allow candies to touch. Garnish candies quickly with remaining 1⁄4 cup chopped peppermint. Let divinity cool, undisturbed, until set with a matte finish, 1 to 2 hours. Carefully transfer candies to an airtight container or candy tin, placing parchment paper or wax paper between layers and handling candies gently. Print