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By Poppy8 Comments
Before modern electric mixers, people made divinity with hand-held mixers like this one. I do not know how anyone could beat sugar and egg whites into the delicious divinity candy with one of these old-fashioned mixers. But they did.
If you have ever used one of these, you will know that it takes a great deal of strength and stamina to generate enough mixing action to make divinity. I can only imagine that many factors would contribute to making a batch that turned out like thick paste or heavy syrup. Couple that with older homes that weren’t sealed against the weather like modern homes, and lacking central heat and air conditioning, and it is easy to see how the weather would play a huge role in the outcome of one’s divinity candy. So, the axiom: “You cannot make divinity when it’s raining.”
But not so today. With modern electric stand mixers, well-sealed homes against the weather, and central heat/air that help modify humidity, the candy-maker can no longer blame the weather for a bad batch of candy!
Just to make the point, I decided to make a batch today. The temperature outside was 37 and we were experiencing steady rain mixed with sleet. The outside humidity was 100%. But that did not deter me.
I gathered my supplies, cracked the eggs and put the syrup on to boil. About 40 minutes later, the finished divinity was ready to divide into gift servings.
You can make divinity when it’s raining…as long as your kitchen is indoors! Just follow your favorite recipe, and you’ll be fine. You can find many different recipes online, but I have found this one to be close to our secret family recipe.
Good to know. I’m 67 years old & my mother only made this at Christmas time. No such thing as candy thermometers in the 50′ so now I only make it at Christmas time as well
Reply
divadminsays
Thank you for responding. I rarely every use a thermometer with divinity, just the old drop in the water method. It’s very reliable. My grandmother used to beat her candy with one of the hand mixers. I cannot imagine that experience! I hope you have a very blessed and merry Christmas! Keep making candy!!!
Thank you. My mother made this but never taught my older sister or me how to cook anything. In fact my father’s wedding gift was the Farm Journal cookbook back in 1952.
Thank you for responding to my post. What an amazing gift from your father! Does that cookbook have a divinity recipe? If you need any tips or run into snags, let me know. I have seen those cookbooks for sale on eBay and Amazon. Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.
Tom
Reply
Kathleen Flammsays
I’ve made divinity for years and last year each time I tried it flopped. I wondered if it was because of the weather. I have laser thermometer and it always works great but the temperature fluctuates depending on where it is in the pan. That can be a problem. It’s good to know at least the weather doesn’t matter. Thanks a lot!!
Reply
divadminsays
Hi, Kathleen, and thank you for visiting my site. I would say that weather does have some effect on your candy, but only to the amount of humidity. If it’s raining, or if it’s just one of those humid days, I run my air conditioner to drop the humidity in the house. I have never used a laser thermometer, and I rarely use a thermometer at all. When the humidity is high, you can try cooking your syrup and extra degree or two, and you may have to beat your candy a long time. Once last year, I had to beat a batch for 40 minutes! But the candy was delicious and fluffy. Best wishes and have a blessed Christmas.
Reply
Carolyn Davissays
Mine was good but turned to hard.
Reply
divadminsays
That happens from overcooking your syrup. I keep the cooking surface hot enough to slowly bring the syrup up to the respective ball stages. This helps prevent getting the syrup temperature too high. Best wishes, and try again.
*Some Notes: in researching this recipe, I found that a lot of people advise against making this candy on a humid day, such as when it's raining. The humidity can supposedly affect the way the candy sets up and dries, which is essential for divinity.
*Some Notes: in researching this recipe, I found that a lot of people advise against making this candy on a humid day, such as when it's raining. The humidity can supposedly affect the way the candy sets up and dries, which is essential for divinity.
Much like making meringues and other confections, the key to making a successful divinity has everything to do with the weather! If possible, always make divinity on a cool, dry day. As sugar attracts water, any humidity or moisture in the air can affect how your divinity turns out.
The perfect divinity climate has a relative humidity of less than 35 percent. If you live in an area that's hardly ever that dry, you can always run your air conditioner or a dehumidifier for about a day or so before making divinity.
Corn Syrup – This is added to stop the sugar from crystalizing giving you a very smooth, chewy texture that's not grainy. Sugar – White granulated sugar is the best for this recipe, avoid brown sugar or it'll affect both the taste and look of the divinity.
That's part of why candy making is so prevalent in winter; the best climate for making candy has a relative humidity of less than 35%, and cold air usually has less moisture than hot air.
You can sometimes correct a divinity fail. If it is too stiff, add very hot water, beating in a half tablespoon at a time until it reaches a fluffy consistency. If it is too thin and does not set, try adding 1/2 tablespoon at a time of powdered sugar until it thickens.
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. If you want your divinity candy to soften up a bit add hot water a tablespoon at a time and beat it again.
That's why dry days are recommended for candy making, although the effects of humidity can be somewhat counterbalanced by cooking the candy to the upper end of the appropriate temperature stage.
Divinity candy stays fresh even at room temperature for 10 to 14 days. The heat from the sugar syrup removes the danger of the egg content spoiling. To store the divinity candy, line an airtight storage container with wax paper.
To store: Once the divinity candies are set, place them in an airtight container with parchment paper in between layers and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them in airtight container for up to 2 months.
Humidity can cause fudge to boil over in the pan or stay soft when set, so try to avoid working on humid days if at all possible. If waiting for a less humid day isn't feasible, you'll need to boil your fudge at a slightly higher temperature than usual — or just order some delicious fudge from Wockenfuss!
High humidity hastens the breakdown of sugar as it cools. Once the candy has cooled to the point where it can no longer evaporate moisture, it can actually begin to reabsorb moisture. This produces a softer product than may be desirable.
When I've made the candy on a warmer, humid day, it tends to be a stickier brittle. This is because the brittle takes longer to cool, and it reaches a point where it is no longer evaporating moisture into the air. It reabsorbs moisture from the air and forms unwanted crystals.
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If you have ever used one of these, you will know that it takes a great deal of strength and stamina to generate enough mixing action to make divinity. I can only imagine that many factors would contribute to making a batch that turned out like thick paste or heavy syrup. Couple that with older homes that weren’t sealed against the weather like modern homes, and lacking central heat and air conditioning, and it is easy to see how the weather would play a huge role in the outcome of one’s divinity candy. So, the axiom: “You cannot make divinity when it’s raining.”
Darlene Stewart says
