A tried and true recipe for old-fashioned Sea Foam Candy! This recipe is similar to Divinity but made with both white and brown sugar and it uses less corn syrup. For best results, do not attempt to make Sea Foam candy on a humid day. Cool, dry weather is best for Sea Foam
½heaping cup(70g)chopped pecans or walnuts*toast whole then chop
TOOLS
candy thermometerI linked to the one I use in the recipe notes below
pastry brush
electric mixerI like to use my stand mixer, there is a lot of mixing required in this recipe and I'm not sure that it could be done by hand without an electric or hand mixer.
Instructions
Place egg whites in the clean, grease-free bowl of stand mixer (you may use a large bowl and an electric mixer instead, but there is a lot of mixing required and even using a hand mixer will be an arm workout). Set aside.
2 large egg whites
In a medium-sized, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine sugars, corn syrup, and water.
1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed, ½ cup water, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Use a damp pastry brush to wipe down sides to keep sugar crystals from forming.
pastry brush
Once your sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to come to a boil, stop stirring and attach your candy thermometer.
candy thermometer
Continue to cook to 255F (124C) but once your mixture reaches about 240F (115C), keep an eye on your temperature but return to your egg whites in your stand mixer. Add the salt and use a whisk attachment to beat your egg whites and stiff peaks form** -- this can take several minutes even on the highest speed. Be sure to pay attention to your syrup on the stovetop, and let your stiff peak mixture sit while you wait for that to reach 255F.
¼ teaspoon salt, electric mixer
Once syrup reaches temperature, remove from heat and drizzle in a slow, thin stream into the bowl with your stiff peaks while beating on high speed Be careful, go slowly or there will be some splatter! You can start on low speed and gradually increase the speed to high as you are adding the syrup.
Continue beating the mixture until it holds its shape. the mixture will become glossy and very thick, and this will take several minutes. Beat until it is stiff enough to hold is shape when the whisk is raised from the mixture.
Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to stir in your vanilla and chopped nuts.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ heaping cup chopped pecans or walnuts*
Use a pair of lightly buttered spoons to drop the mixture by 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized portions onto a wax or parchment paper lined tray, swirling each drop into a peak.
Let the tray of Sea Foam stand until it is completely dry, this could take several hours or it may even need to sit overnight.
Notes
This is the candy thermometer that I use(affiliate)*Optional: If the nuts you are using aren't already chopped, I recommend lightly toasting them on 350F (175C) for about 5 minutes to really bring out the flavor. Toast the nuts before chopping, then allow them to cool and chop into small pieces before adding into your Sea Foam.**Stiff peaks have formed when you can remove the whisk from the mixture and the peak that forms (like in the photo) stands tall and does not fold back into itself when you turn it upside-down.
How to Store Sea Foam
Store candy at room temperature in an airtight container for up to several weeks.