Divinity

Steps

1. Line two baking sheets with wax paper or parchment. Put the egg whites in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk.
2. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves and the syrup starts to boil, then stop stirring.
3. Clip on a candy thermometer and let the syrup boil undisturbed. When it hits about 250°F, start whipping the egg whites on high so they reach stiff peaks just as the syrup is ready.
4. Cook the syrup to 260°F, the hard-ball stage, usually 10 to 15 minutes after it starts to boil. No thermometer? A few drops in ice-cold water should roll into a firm ball that keeps its shape yet squashes a little under your fingers.
5. With the mixer on medium-high, pour the hot syrup into the whites in a thin, steady stream, aiming between the whisk and the side of the bowl.
6. Add the vanilla and keep beating until the candy looks matte instead of shiny and a spoonful mounds up without spreading, 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Quickly stir in the pecans, if using.
8. Working fast, scoop the candy with one teaspoon and push it off with another onto the lined sheets, leaving a little peak on each. If it gets too stiff to scoop, beat in hot water a few drops at a time.
9. Let the pieces stand at room temperature until firm and dry to the touch, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Good to know

• Humidity is the biggest risk. On a rainy or muggy day the candy soaks up moisture from the air and may stay tacky or never set, so wait for a dry day if you can. If you cannot, cook the syrup to 262°F and expect to beat it a few minutes longer.
• If the candy spreads into puddles when you drop it, beat it a few minutes more. If it still will not hold a shape, beat in powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it does.
• Divinity keeps about a week in a sealed container on the counter, with wax paper between layers. Do not refrigerate it; the damp chill makes it sticky.
• Set each piece in a paper candy cup for gifting; they look like little snowballs in a box.