Cream Cheese Divinity
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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
Made this last year for a christmas party. It was a hit! I even had people ask me for the recipe. Of course I told them about you! 🙂
I love your recipes. Cannot wait to try the divinity. It was my moms favorite.
Thank you Sabrina, I hope you get the chance to try it soon!!
Christy Jordan, you are just what I needed today – not the candy recipe although it’s great, but your sweet words of encouragement. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
I did something similar to this last year, except split ‘dough’ in half. To one I added mint extract, the other cocoa powder. Then, pressed two bits together… Chocolatey mint bites! Heavenly.
Yum! That sounds heavenly!
Can these be frozen (either the pieces or the dough)? I don’t need the entire amount right now. I made mine in 1-inch balls and made about 40 from half of the mixture. I will add some to my cookie/candy plates. They will be a perfect addition. Thanks for sharing!
This tastes nothing like divinity. It takes like cake icing because that’s what the ingredients are. It did not harden either. Instead of throwing it away, I’m going to put it back in the mixer, add some cocoa powder and frost a cake. Thinking it MIGHT work with marshmallow fluff instead of cream cheese.
Hey Debbie, I’m sorry you were disappointed. In the future, it would be helpful if you could take a few moments to read my posts about the recipes I share. I’m guilty of being a repeat offender skimmer, too :). You would find, in this post, that I specifically state this is not traditional divinity and is not supposed to be. I also offer tips and thoughts on what to expect so you would have noticed, also, that I didn’t say it would harden. I’m afraid you had preconceived notions about this recipe that this recipe was never meant to meet.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas and that it is all smooth sailing from here. Be blessed.
I made these last night. I didn’t measure the sugar, I just dumped in a 2 lb bag of confectioner sugar. I might could have added another cup to make it a little stiffer. I let dry overnight and flipped them over this morning for the bottoms to dry. THIS CANDY IS SUPERB. It looks beautiful. It was easy (using a stand mixer….). THANK YOU. I got to put in a plug for a local business (Decatur): Tennessee Valley Pecan. I love their pecans and I promise I’m nothing more than a customer.
Texas Pecans are bigger and better HA HA!