Divinity?

[shawn116]

Be careful of the humidity Umpa.... divinity will not come out very well if it is high.  I haven't been able to make it right since I moved to the south     It's a very finicky recipe...LOL

[umpa]

I am still having a issue trying to figure out consistency.Is it crunchy like meringues toosweet or chewy?

[shawn116]

It's hard to describe Umpa LOL  It's more like a fluffy fudge.  I suppose the egg white is what gives it the fluff...No crunch though.  Meringues are way to light and fluffy to compair it to them.  I would think the sf maple syrup would work but it needs to be a brand that is thick like corn syrup.  Hey..... maybe the sf honey??   or use xanthan gum to thicken it??  My momma is more of an expert on this stuff  LOL  I'll ask her today and see what she thinks.  I don't think she is on here that often

[Rena]

Yeah, like Too Sweet said, good Divinity is soft and chewy. I've had it where it's more powdery like a meringue, but it should be soft. A soft, marshmallowy fudge is how I usually describe it. But ... it IS tricky, even under the right circumstances with all the right ingredients. It has to reach a hard boil stage and I don't know if any artificial sweeteners can do that.

Good luck!

[Marty]

High humidity will make a mess of it, too. It's a touchy recipe. Everything has to be just right to get the good batch! I remember my grandmother trying to make it for Christmas when the humidity was up and it FLOPPED big time. She was quite upset.

[Doug Varrieur]

I would take Jo's recent fudge recipe and combine it with 4 egg whites beaten stiff untill well mixed then bake it off for 15-20 minutes at 350 in a baking dish.

[shawn116]

I talked with my mom a bit about this and she was telling me that the humidity needs to be 60% or lower to come out well.  Other wise you end up with a soft taffy.  Way to soft and chewy...    She said maybe a better example would be nougat.....like what you find in a candy bar.  That might give you a better idea of what it is supposed to be like.      LOL

She was telling me that it could probably be done if you are able to boil the syrup down to a hard candy stage....

 

[Rena]

Yes, TooSweet, that describes it well. Sort of like the insides of a Three Muskateer, but a little firmer, and with nuts.

[shawn116]

I thought so to.  I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place  ...LOL   I'm afraid there might be a reason you can't find any online though   

[Marty]

Who knew it would be so hard to describe a texture/consistency?! When I think of chewy, I think of caramel, but I think nougat comes pretty close! I was thinking penuche... It's very distinctive, anyway! How's this for weird - I prefer the white divinity - even if it's just food coloring, I don't like the flavor of pink divinity!

[shawn116]

Here is an interesting read.... http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/memorial-kevinpa-his-best-recipes/443834-isomalt-mock-light-corn-syrup-experiment.html    Has anyone used or know about isomalt??  I don't know much about it.  I know some of the sugar free stuff will give bad tummy issues     

[Rena]

I saw this online ...

Sorry, you can't make sugar free divinity because all divinity is is: sugar, corn syrup, 2 egg whites and vanilla.

There is not an acceptable sugar substitute that will cook down and get to the "crack" stage so you can beat the syrup into the egg whites.

Mistress of Divinity

[umpa]

Well we have high humidity in the Keys,way over 60 %! I could try this is the mountains though.sugarfree maple syrup does get to the hard candy stage.I do that when i make glazed nuts toosweet.I am not sure if xylitol honey will.I will try the xylitol honey when I make my nuts and see how far I can take it on a candy thermometer.I love a challenge

[shawn116]

I saw that to Rena...LOL  I find it hard to believe that it can't be done though    after all if you couldn't get sugar free sugar to a crack stage you wouldn't have sugar free candy.  It's always been a frustrating recipe for me though.... grrrrr

Umpa that is my problem as well...LOL  We are alway way over 60% here.  Once in a blue moon though........ 

 

[Rena]

Does the Walden Farms maple get to hard candy stage?