Pecan Divinity

the cloud-white nougat candy of the Texas and American South holiday tin: beaten egg whites folded into a very hot sugar syrup cooked to the hard-ball stage, then stirred together with pecan halves and dropped in pillowy rounds to cool to an airy, melting confection

Origin: Texas and the American South, USA

From the journey of Pecan.

Divinity is one of the more delightfully named confections in the American candy canon, and the name is both accurate and instructive: the candy's texture is ethereal, dissolving on the palate almost without pressure, and it was reportedly considered so good by early Southern cooks that 'divine' was the only word adequate to the experience. The technique is a meringue-based nougat, made by beating stiffly whipped egg whites into a sugar syrup cooked to the hard-ball stage (a method shared with the Italian meringue, the French nougat de Montélimar, and the traditional Turkish lokum base) but in the American South it became the specific vehicle for the pecan, and the divinity as a pecan candy is one of the most characteristically Southern and Texan confections of the Christmas season. Divinity's reputation is also accurate in another sense: it is notoriously difficult to make successfully on a humid day. The candy's structure depends on the cooked sugar remaining dry and crystalline as the hot syrup cools; on humid days, the sugar absorbs atmospheric moisture and the candy never sets, remaining permanently sticky rather than achieving the characteristic dry, airy finish. For this reason, divinity-making in the American South is a winter occupation, associated with Christmas and Thanksgiving, when the dry, cool air of the Gulf Coast and Texas winters makes successful results reliable. Some old Southern recipes specify that divinity must be made when the weather is good, a piece of practical meteorological advice that made the candy a seasonal rather than a year-round sweet.

Ingredients

Sugar Syrup

  • 400 g caster sugar
  • 120 ml water
  • 100 ml light corn syrup (or golden syrup)
  • 0.25 tsp fine salt

Meringue

  • 2 large egg whites, at room temperature

Flavouring

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Nuts

  • 150 g pecan halves

Method

  1. Line two baking trays with baking paper and have two large metal spoons ready. Place the egg whites in the completely clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  2. Combine the caster sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy, medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Clip a sugar thermometer to the side, increase heat to medium-high, and boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 127°C (hard-ball stage). This is critical: below 125°C the divinity will be sticky; above 130°C it will be grainy.
  3. When the syrup reaches about 115°C, start beating the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, then increase to high speed and beat to stiff, glossy peaks.
  4. When the syrup reaches 127°C, remove from heat immediately. With the mixer running on high speed, pour the hot syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin, steady stream, pouring down the side of the bowl rather than onto the whisk to avoid spattering. Beat on high speed for 4–6 minutes until the mixture thickens, loses its gloss, and holds firm peaks. Add the vanilla and pecans and fold in quickly.
  5. Working quickly, drop heaped spoonfuls of the divinity onto the prepared trays, using two spoons to push it off in pillowy rounds. If the mixture starts to harden in the bowl before you are finished, add 1 teaspoon of hot water and beat briefly to loosen it.
  6. Allow to cool and set completely at room temperature for at least 1 hour. The finished divinity should be dry, not sticky, to the touch, and white throughout. Store in an airtight tin in a single layer at room temperature.

Notes

Divinity cannot be made successfully on a humid day (above 60 per cent humidity): the sugar absorbs moisture from the air and the candy never dries properly. This is not a flaw in the recipe — it is a fundamental property of sugar confectionery made with beaten egg whites, and experienced Southern candy-makers check the weather before starting. The addition of red or green food colouring to some of the batch is a traditional Texas Christmas variation, producing pastel-coloured divinity for the holiday tin. A pinch of cream of tartar added to the egg whites at the beginning gives greater stability.

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