Cherry divinity fudge is indeed an old-fashioned, heavenly candy. While plain divinity is excellent, the addition of candied cherries (or other candied fruit) makes my favorite kind of divinity.
I need to clarify that I do not think that divinity is fudge. My mom and grandmother would refer to some divinity as divinity fudge. I believe this had more to do with how it was formed into pieces rather than how it was made or if it was really considered to be fudge.
Unlike most of the divinity my paternal grandmother made (and she made tons of divinity), this divinity is normally poured into a lightly buttered pan/dish and cut like fudge. This was my mom’s favorite way to make divinity. However, I believe it could be dropped by spoonfuls on wax paper like other divinity instead. However, you would have to work really fast as the addition of cherries cools down the mixture faster and makes it more difficult to drop. I will just stick to treating it like fudge instead.
Cherry Divinity Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 c. sugar
- 2/3 c. light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/3 c water
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 c. sliced candied (glace) cherries*
Instructions
- Lightly butter an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan or dish.
- Stir sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water together in a pot/pan with a wooden spoon.
- Cook on medium to medium-high heat. You can stir the mixture when first heating, but be sure to stop stirring well before the mixture boils.
- Continue to boil until the sugar mixture reaches the firm ball stage (260 degrees F). While it is HIGHLY recommended to use a thermometer, you can test for the firm ball stage by dropping a little of the hot sugar mixture into a container of very cold water to see if a firm ball forms.
- If you have a stand mixer, you can start to beat the egg whites when the mixture is close to the soft ball stage. If you do not have a stand mixture, start beating the egg whites after the syrup reaches the firm ball stage. Beat the egg whites until a stiff peak forms; do not overbeat.
- Add the sugar mixture to the egg whites by gradually pouring a very thin stream of the syrup into the egg whites as the mixer is whipping them. Aim for the side of the bowl where the whites meet the bowl to avoid the mixer’s spinning whisk as much as possible. The hot sugar mixture will heat the egg whites and turn them glossy.
- When the mixture thickens, add in the cherries and continue mixing until the cherries are distributed and the candy is thick, but it is still easy to spread.**
- Work quickly and pour the candy into the prepared dish or pan.
- Cut into pieces once the candy has set and cooled, but still warm. TIP: It is easiest to cut with a knife placed under hot water then dried off just before cutting.
- Allow to completely cool and dry for several hours before storing them in an airtight container.
Notes
* May substitute candied or dried pineapple, blueberries, or chopped nuts for candied cherries. Crystallized ginger can also be used instead of other fruit either by itself or with nuts. However, it is recommended to reduce the amount of ginger to 1/4 of a cup. Crystallized ginger can have a strong flavor and add a lot of heat to the candy if you use the same amount as other fruit and nuts.
** I like the pink tint that whisking the cherries in gives the divinity. If you don’t want to change the color or are adding another type of fruit, you can also fold in the fruit with a spoon after the divinity is thick and produces stiff, stretchy peaks.
