
If you choose to make your own southern divinity candy, keep a few things in mind. First, if it’s raining don’t try to make southern divinity. Next, you’ll need to cook the candy to the hard ball stage. Candy has reached the hard ball stage when it will hold its shape when dropped into a cup of cold water.
After completion, the mixture hardens quickly, so you must work rapidly to drop the mixture onto waxed paper. Add a few drops of hot water if the mixture gets too thick before you are finished. If the mixture won’t hold up, beat again for one minute. Some recipes mention using two spoons to scrape the mixture onto the paper. With a twirling motion, you can create a swirl-like effect, similar to the peak of a cone of soft serve ice cream. Store the candy in a tightly-covered container.
Some folks will pour their divinity into a pan and let it harden before cutting, but no self-respecting Southerner would take that shortcut. You’ll want to make genuinely divine southern divinity.