Making Christmas Divinity? Why you want to wait for a rain-free day (2024)
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Here in the South, it is part of many people’s holiday traditions to whip up a batch of Christmas Divinity for friends and family.
But here in the South, there is one “ingredient” that is in short supply to make the confection, particularly in the month of December. That “ingredient” is dry weather with relatively low humidity.
The ingredients are whipped together, incorporating air into the confection which produces a very soft, cloud-like texture which is dry to the touch — that is, if the weather is cooperating.
Many recipes call for making the candy on dry, sunny days with humidity levels below 50% in order for the candy to dry properly.
Sugar is hydroscopic, which means it attracts water molecules, including the water vapor molecules within the air. The higher the humidity, the more water vapor is available for the sugar molecules to attract. The result: A divinity that is less pillowy soft and more gooey and gritty in texture.
Candy manufacturer Warrell Corporation explains, “Cooking candy sugar to the proper temperature requires achieving the appropriate sugar-moisture balance. 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.”
Why dry weather is in short supply in December
In North Alabama and southern Middle Tennessee, December is (on average) the wettest month of the year. This is often due to numerous low pressure systems that either surge south from the Great Plains or move north from the Gulf of Mexico.
In an average December, as much as 5.50 to 5.75 inches of rain falls through the end of the year, with each rain system producing 1-1.5″ of rain at a time, sometimes twice in one week!
With that much rain within a month dedicated to celebrating the Christmas season, it can be easy to see why a dry, sunny day is on many candy-makers’ Christmas wish list!
Because of the high sugar content, divinity needs dry air to dry itself. On high humidity days, the divinity will absorb moisture from the air. This means the divinity will have a gooey texture to it.
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.
How To Handle Overly Dry Divinity. If you find that your Divinity candy has turned out too dry (left hand side of image above), work as quickly as possible to spoon the pieces out onto the parchment paper. Let the candy sit out just until it has cooled and then immediately transfer to an air tight container.
Consider this: divinity hates humidity. It's best to make divinity on a cool, dry day. If it's humid (over 50%) or rainy, the candy might end up with a more gooey, or grainy texture.
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.
Humidity equals wet, and wet equals candy that often won't set. Even in the cooler and less humid months, it can be a challenge to make old fashioned divinity - that being a divinity that is purely sugar, corn syrup, water, egg whites, chopped pecans, a little vanilla - and a goodly amount of elbow grease.
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.
(I just learned something new - apparently it is not humidity that will sink your divinity and some other airy or tempermental confections - it is barometric pressure, which should be at least 30 inches or higher.
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.
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.
*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.
But if your divinity fails to harden, you can beat in two tablespoons of powdered sugar and allow the mixture to rest a few minutes; if the candy hardens too much, you can blend in hot water a tablespoon at a time until the perfect, fluffy consistency is reached.
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!
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.
How to Store Divinity Candy. Store the set Divinity in an airtight container for up to two weeks. It can be frozen in an airtight container for up to two months.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the best indoor relative humidity falls between 30% and 50%, and it should never exceed 60%. Other studies suggest 40% to 60% is a better range. Regardless, 60% seems to be the agreed-upon threshold for indoor humidity. A humidistat.
Believe it or not, the weather and humidity can also play a prominent role in the process of making candy, as it can have a dramatic impact on the quality of the finished product.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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