Suzie's Divinity

Suzie’s Divinity
Yield: about 6 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
½ cup water
2 egg whites
1 tsp. flavor extract (Almond is my favorite, but Vanilla is most common)

Directions:
1. Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in an 8-cup microwavable measure or bowl (I use my Pampered Chef Large Batter Bowl) until sugar is thoroughly moistened.

2. Microwave uncovered on high for 5 minutes, take out and stir, return to microwave and heat for another 5 minutes. The original recipe said 13-15 minutes, but my microwave gets the syrup to hard ball stage (260 degrees on a candy thermometer) at 10 minutes. This part will take a little bit of experimentation, but once you figure out your microwave, write it down on your copy of the recipe. If you need more than 10 minutes, you’ll want to stir the mixture every 5 minutes.

*Before microwaving the sugar mixture, I separate the eggs and put the egg whites in my mixing bowl.  I lay out my waxed paper while the sugar mixture is in the microwave.  When there is 2-3 minutes left on the microwave, I start up my Kitchen-Aid mixer.  This is the perfect amount of time to have the egg whites at stiff peak stage.

3. Beat egg whites in medium bowl (I use a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for ease) until stiff peaks form. In my mixer, the egg whites are stiff in about 2 minutes at high speed.

4. Continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed.

5. Add Almond extract. **It’s so easy to forget this step. Set out your flavoring near the mixer as a reminder!** Beat until the mixture holds its shape and becomes slightly dull. The dullness is key for me.

6. Drop mixture from teaspoons onto waxed paper. Let stand at room temperature until the candies feel firm.

7. Freeze in an air tight container between layers of waxed paper.  Each batch makes about 6 1/2 dozen - 'little larger than a tablespoon' sized drops of Divinity.

Note: Some prefer to add nuts. You can add 2/3 cups of coarsely chopped nuts at the end of step 5, but I think it spoils the Divinity! I expect Divinity to melt in my mouth and nuts obviously thwart that expectation.