Cream Cheese Divinity
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cream Cheese Divinity is my own creation, born out of my love for traditional divinity!
I love traditional Southern Divinity, the holidays just aren’t the same without it. Mama and I both make up batches and divvy it out like it was gold doubloons among our families and friends. It’s just that good.
So here is the thing, this recipe is not traditional divinity. I didn’t develop it to be that. I developed it to be an awful lot like it but simple for anyone to make and good in its own right.
Will it remind you of divinity? Definitely. But this is decadently wonderful in it’s own special way.
Think of how good that cream cheese icing tastes, especially when you get a bite that has a big pecan on it. Now you have some understanding what this is going to be like – only a good bit better.
Guess what else though? This recipe doesn’t depend on the weather, or temperature of your house, or how your pinkie toes are crossed to make it. There is no thermometer needed, no syrup to be made, and nothing hot to burn yourself on. You toss all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix. Then, roll it into balls and press a pecan into the center. That’s it. Seriously!
But before I get into that, I have to share a conversation we all (the Southern Plate family) had yesterday on Facebook. I asked folks to post encouraging scripture passages that meant a lot to them or helped to lift them up and goodness gracious, did y’all deliver (Click here to see that post)!
I plan on printing them out later today to tape up on my wall but I haven’t had time to sit down and really go through them all. These are the kinds of things you want to read word for word, when you can really focus on what they are saying.
I had to share with you one that immediately jumped out at me though! Delaine Carr quoted a verse that I have kept close to my heart for the past several years. In fact, if you ever see any old television programs with me on them you might notice a small silver band on my right hand where I had this verse engraved. I don’t have that ring now because a few years back I happened upon someone who needed it more than I did at the time. But despite the verse being dear to me as it was, it was Delaine’s spin on it that really jumped out because I’d never heard it put that way before but it made perfect sense!
She said: “Be still and know that I am God. ~Psalm 46:10 This verse has always given me comfort! My version is ‘Hush! Let me handle this!'”
How many times in my life have I needed to be told that by God? I couldn’t begin to count them if I tried. But I thought I’d share that with you today with a reminder that He still has us in His hand. Oftentimes, things go easier for us if we’d simply stop being our own biggest impediment. 🙂
Now y’all know half of the stuff I write, I write it as reminders to myself. This is one of those but if it speaks to you, too, then come on and give this kindred spirit a hug!
OOH! Let’s make divinity!
You’ll need: Cream Cheese (check out our recipe for easy-peasy homemade cream cheese), Butter (Margarine works, too), Confectioner’s Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Pecan halves*.
*You can also use pecan pieces and just mix them up in the dough if you like.
Make sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temp. Whenever I have to make a recipe like this, I usually put them on the counter before I go to bed and then make it in the morning.
Place cream cheese, butter, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
Mix those up really good with an electric mixer and then add a bit of vanilla.
Now you need to add your sugar. You really should add the sugar gradually as you beat it.
Do I add it gradually? Yes, I do.
It’s just that my definition of “add gradually” means “dump it all in at once”.
Get it all mixed up good, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth and fully blended.
Now you are pretty much done. All that is left is shaping it into balls and pressing a pecan into each one.
See how easy?
Roll them into little 1 inch balls and dip the bottoms into confectioner’s sugar.
You can skip this step but it makes them so much easier to deal with later and helps dry them out.
Put all of the little balls onto wax paper or parchment.
Press a pecan into each. Allow to sit out for a few hours to dry. After an hour or so, I flip them over to get the bottoms dry. after they have dried out and are no longer sticky (this will be 2-3 hours), put them in tins or plastic containers and store at room temp if they’ll be eaten in a day or two or in the fridge for a week or two.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 8 ounce softened cream cheese at room temp
- 3 tablespoons butter softened at room temp
- 7-8 cups powdered sugar I buy a 2 lb bag
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Place cream cheese, butter, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Add in vanilla and gradually add in sugar (beginning with 7 cups), beating until all is well blended. Add more sugar if needed to make it a thick cookie dough consistency.
- Once well blended, shape into 1 inch balls and dip bottoms into confectioner's sugar before placing on waxed paper or parchment. Press a pecan half into each one. Allow to dry for 2-3 hours and then store in a sealed container on the countertop if they will be eaten within a day or two, or in the fridge to keep up to 2 weeks.
Makes 50-60 pieces
Nutrition
“Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.”
~Zig Ziglar
This recipe featured on Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck
Yay!!! I made them and they are easy…got everything out the night before – and it was easy peasy. Wish I could post a picture here – I didn’t have as many pecans as I needed but I did have candied cheeries and used them for the remainder and it is SO PRETTY!! My husband loves them. Thank you Christy and Mama for this recipe. Score for me today 🙂
Christy, I received and email from zip list that I needed to empty my zip list recipe box by December 10th as they would no longer be supporting the recipe box. My question is are you partnering with another recipe box or do we need to copy all of out saved recipes and put them in a file on our computer. I sure wouldn’t want to lose any of my recipes. Thank you, Marsha
Is there a substitute for the lemon juice in this recipe? I’d love to make it for a friend of mine, but she can’t have lemon juice.
I just saw that you replied to my earlier comment! Thanks Christy!
Maybe orange juice. Apple juice.
Ruby red grapefruit juice sounds good too!
Can these be frozen? Do you think the texture would be the same?
What is the weight of the bag of pecan halves?
Has anybody else actually MADE these??? I get frustrated with “Sounds great!” “Pinned it” ” Want to try!” I love love love Christy and her heartwarming stories and have both her cookbooks and given over twenty as gifts to my friends and families!!! But I want to hear how others made this, liked it, tweaked it, etc!!!!
Well, I made them and I shared pictures :). I’m very grateful for those initial comments from folks. That’s how I know the recipes and thoughts I’m sharing resonate. Honestly, if comments stopped it would feel like I was here talking to myself. And that wouldn’t last long 🙂 (my conversations with myself aren’t nearly as interesting).
Thanks for being here, Laura, and for such unwavering support! I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!
Gratefully,
CJ
Hi, I made them this morning. The only thing I did different was to spread the powdered sugar on the parchment paper instead of dipping each one individually. It helps when you turn them over too. These are creamy and delicious even after they dry. Oops, I also put crushed pecans in the dough and a pecan half on top. Pretty for the holidays. Thanks for a great recipe Christy.
How did it work with putting the pecans in them? I would love to try them with pecans in them also (instead of just on top). Would you let us know? Thanks!
It worked great, added some texture. Still creamy.
they are the same as mints made for weddings and graduations, I’m sure you have had them
These are so pretty. I am anxious to try them for the holidays. I had a thought to put a candied red or green maraschino cherry half on top of part of them for those who don’t like or can’t have nuts.
Great idea Elaine!!!
I made these yesterday, they turned out very very good. They have a similar texture and taste to cream cheese mints we use to make many years ago.I believe are more delicate and softer texture. Love them. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I am so glad you liked them Paysy!!! Thank you so much for giving them a try!