Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Pecan Kisses
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the meringue
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gradually add the granulated sugar while continuing to beat until well combined.
Fold in the broken pecan nuts gently.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto parchment paper.
Bake in the oven, preferably with the baking pans turned upside down.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a foam that gives the kisses their light, airy structure.
- Granulated sugar
- Added to the whites to stabilise the foam and sweeten the cookies.
- Pecan kernels
- Provide nutty flavour and pieces that give the kisses texture.
The step that matters
Fold in the broken pecan nuts gently. Folding keeps the air trapped in the beaten egg whites. Vigorous stirring deflates the foam, so the kisses spread and bake flat and dense instead of staying light.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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