Dreamy Divinity

Ingredients List

Instructions

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium-high heat to boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. This should take 5-7 minutes. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan.

Cook over medium heat, without stirring, to 265°F or hard ball stage. Reaching hard ball stage should take about 15 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer from saucepan. In a large mixer bowl, immediately beat egg whites on medium speed untill stiff peaks form.

Gradually pour hot mixture in a thin stream slightly less than 1/8-inch diameter, over egg whites beating with the electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and food coloring, if desired. Continue beating on high speed about 5-6 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, just until candy starts to lose its gloss. When beaters are lifted, mixture should fall in a ribbon, but mound on itself and not disappear into remaining mixture.

Drop a tablespoonful of mixture onto waxed paper. If it stays mounded in a soft shape, it is beaten properly. Immediately stir in nuts, if desired. Quickly drop the remaining mixture from a teaspoon onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. If mixture flattens, beat 1/2-1 minute more.

Makes about 36 pieces.