How to Make Old-Fashioned Divinity
Peanut brittle, spice drops, peppermint sticks, and divinity....few candies evoke Christmas memories for us like these. Long before Williams Sonoma's Peppermint Bark and Brown & Haley's Almond Roca topped the holiday candy game, our grandmothers (and their mothers and grandmothers before them) were hand-crafting candy with skill and precision that many of today's candy makers only dream about.
One of our favorite old-fashioned homemade candies is divinity. The nougat-like treat is made with only a few simple ingredients, but delivers a one-of-a-kind candy that you'll be making year after year.
A mixture of sugar, corn syrup, water and a dash of salt is cooked to 260 degrees F (also known as hard ball stage) then slowly poured into a bowl of stiff egg whites. The mixture is beaten until thick and dull before optional mix-ins are added. Our preference is chopped pecans, but the possibilities are endless! Crushed peppermints, walnuts, chopped maraschino cherries and coconut also make great additions to divinity!
The most common mistake people make when making divinity is that they get impatient and stop beating the candy too soon. It's crucial that the candy is whipped until it holds it's shape, otherwise it will spread when you spoon it onto the parchment and the candy won't have it's signature melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Grab yourself a candy thermometer and your favorite mix-ins and give it a try using the recipe found here:
FOLLOW COUNTRY REBEL RECIPES ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE RECIPES SO GOOD THEY SHOULD BE OUTLAWED:
Paula's Kitchen Episode 12: Amish Buttermilk Cookies
A summertime tradition for us is a trip back to the heartland, and a stop in Ohio Amish Country - one of our favorite getaway spots. When we can't get there, the next best thing is to pull out the old Cooking with Elsa cookbook, and make a classic Amish recipe - soft and sweet Buttermilk Cookies, with brown sugar icing. Everybody is going to love these!
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AMISH BUTTERMILK COOKIES
From Amish Home Cooking with Elsa, copyright 1999
Cookies:
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
Stir together sugar and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat well.
Stir the baking powder into the flour, and the baking soda into the buttermilk. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately to the sugar/butter in a large mixing bowl, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir dough til smooth. Store tightly covered in refrigerator, several hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drop cookie dough in large spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between – they do expand. Bake 10 minutes at 375, until light brown in color. While hot, use a spatula to loosen from the cookie sheet, and put on a rack to cool.
Frosting:
½ cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup milk
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, until smooth and dissolved. Remove pan from heat, and add milk, salt, and vanilla. Set aside and cool to lukewarm. Gradually mix in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Spoon icing over cooled cookies. Delicious!
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Many thanks to the talented Josie Ryder Tucker, for the caricature drawing that appears during the intro!
Songs from the YouTube Audio Library featured in this video:
- Cuckoo Clock
- Home for the Holidays
Cinematography: Dale McKenzie
Editing, Post-Production: Dale McKenzie, Final Cut Pro X
Voiceover, How-to: Paula McKenzie
Cameras: DJI Osmo Pocket in 4K, Panasonic DMC-GF6 for the overhead shots, iPhone 11 Pro Max
Tim's Favourite Orange Fudge Recipe / Tim's Tasty Treats
Join Tim in the kitchen once more as he attempts to whip up a batch of delicious fudge with an orange twist!
For the basic fudge recipe Tim used, please visit the Carnation website (and add orange extract to taste - Tim used 1.5 tsp)
How To Make Caramel Pecan Nut Roll
Joyce Whiting from TableForFifty.com shows her secrets for making caramel pecan nut roll (pecan log) and caramel cashew roll. You can find the recipes for the nut roll centers here:
This video shows how to make caramel and how to roll the nuts and caramel around a creamy center. To learn how to make the centers, watch the companion How to Make Fondant video here:
Keep in mind that the fondant video shows how to make the creamy fondant. The darker-colored penuche recipe is made exactly the same way but the recipe includes brown sugar rather than granulated sugar. You'll find both recipes, plus a recipe for caramel on the blog:
Easy Fudge Recipe - JUST 4 Ingredients - Made with Condensed Milk & Brown Sugar
My easy fudge recipe is made with sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar & butter. It’s quick and easy to prepare and perfect to gift at Christmas.
For some reason it’s a really popular recipe in South Africa & New Zealand at this time of year. I hope you guys find my fudge recipe tasty and delicious.
Get the directions for my easy fudge recipe on my website:
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Ingredients (Serves 25 | Prep time: 10m | Cooking time: 20m | 147 calories & 4.6g fat p/serving):
- 1 Tin (397g) sweetened condensed milk
- 100g Butter
- 400g Light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Golden Syrup