Honey Almond Divinity
1-1/4 cups almonds, blanched, peeled and cut into coarse shreds
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 cup water, divided
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Roast shredded almonds at 250 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until they are
light brown.
In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, 1/2 cup of the water, the corn
syrup and the honey. Stirring, cook over medium heat until the sugar is
dissolved. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan, then cook this
syrup without stirring until it has reached the firm-ball stage (357 degrees F).
While the syrup is cooking, combine remaining sugar and water in another
saucepan, and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. While this
mixture boils, pour the sugar-honey syrup slowly over the beaten egg whites,
beating constantly during the addition. Continue beating until the sugar-water
syrup in the second saucepan reaches the hard-ball stage (225 degrees F).
Pour this hot syrup into the mixture of sugar, honey and egg, and beat until the
candy does not stick to your finger when you gently touch the surface. Stir in
the vanilla extract and almonds, and pour the candy into a lightly buttered 12 x
8-inch pan. When it is cold, cut the candy into 1-inch squares