If you have read my blog for a while, you will know that I love chai tea. I make Chai Lattes and I add chai tea and spices to anything I think I can get away with like sweet potatoes, pudding, and doughnuts. So it was only natural for me to want to try it in a candy!
Some of my friends complain that divinity is too sweet. Using chai tea in my divinity recipe seemed like the perfect way to offset the sweetness while adding a subtle undertone of spices.
I thought the tea would produce a dark divinity, especially when watching it boil:
However, I was happy to discover that the finished product was only mildly darker than plain divinity:
Chai Spiced Divinity with Pecans
A delicious and flavorful twist on traditional divinity.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Chai Tea bags
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup recipe for corn syrup substitute
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 cup water to boiling, add tea bags, steep for 5 minutes.
- In a large pot, mix sugar, corn syrup and tea. Cook over a medium-high heat, while stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Clip candy thermometer to the pan. Continue cooking over medium-high heat without stirring until it reaches 260 degrees ( hard-ball stage).
- Once you no longer need to stir the sugar mixture, you can prepare the egg white. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium until they form stiff peaks, when pushed with a spoon.
- Gradually pour the hot sugar mixture in a thin stream over the egg whites, while the mixer is still set on medium After all of the hot mixture has been added to the egg whites, increase speed to high and beat for about 3 minutes.
- Turn off mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Add vanilla. Continue beating on high until the candy starts to lose its gloss ( about 5-6 minutes). When beaters are lifted, the candy should fall in a thick ribbon and form a mound.
- Stir in nuts, if you like, then drop with a tablespoon ( I use a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004UE85/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=coverteach0c-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B00004UE85">1 Tablespoon cookie Scoop</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=coverteach0c-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00004UE85&camp=217145&creative=399369" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" />) onto wax paper.
- Let them set until they have cooled and the outer layer has become somewhat dry and not sticky ( 1 –2 hours). Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Equipment Needed:
Free standing mixer
Candy Thermometer If you would like to see a pictorial tutorial, visit my How to Make Divinity post, which includes the same steps.
Candy Thermometer If you would like to see a pictorial tutorial, visit my How to Make Divinity post, which includes the same steps.
Miriam says
Goodness, I bet this tastes like magic in the form of candy. It sounds amazng! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
Winelady Cooks says
Hi, This recipe looks awesome. I hope I will have a chance to try making these (the sweet tooth is asking for these).
Thanks for sharing,
Joanne
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
Your Chai Spiced Divinity with Pecans sounds like something I would absolutely love! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. It’s perfect for holiday gift giving – and to keep for yourself too!
ButterYum says
I’m such a candy lover – great idea to revive this old classic.
🙂
ButterYum
PS – I like to replace corn syrup with Lyle’s Golden Syrup – wonderful stuff.
Swathi says
Delicious homemade candy Alea. I love to try as I haven’t tried any divinity earlier.
Elsa says
I’ve never made divinity but I would like to. It is definitely sweet but I have a huge sweet tooth so that’s not a problem. 🙂 I never see flavors added to it though, great idea!