For the next two weeks I'm in Portland, Oregon, hanging out with my parents for the holidays. One of the first things I did when I got here was pull down my mom's old recipe notebook and start flipping through. She's had this collection of recipes since before I was born, although she replaced the half-size binder about ten years ago when the original one started shredding. Twenty-seven years of use will do that.

In the miscellaneous section, I spotted this recipe for Christmas Divinity and thought it would make a great recipe to share. I haven't tried this out myself, so I'd love to hear if you guys give it a try. I have no idea where the recipe comes from as it is cut out of ancient newsprint and pasted to a sheet of notebook paper. For another divinity recipe, check out this one on Noshtalgia (which is where I found the picture above).
Christmas Divinity

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2-3 drops peppermint extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup grated coconut
Red and green candied cherries, cut into pieces

Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until small amount of syrup forms a hard ball in cold water, or to 262 degrees on a candy thermometer. While syrup cooks, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. When syrup has cooked to the right point, pour it slowly, with constant beating, over the egg whites. Beat until mixture begins to appear dull and hold its shape. Add extracts and chopped nuts. Drop mixture from tip of teaspoon onto coconut placed on wax paper. Shape each portion into a ball with the coconut as coating. Decorate with bits of cherry.