Why it works: Almond and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,673 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Almond Wafers
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a warm oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Cut the almonds into very fine flakes.
In a bowl, mix the almonds with the eggs (yolks and whites), powdered sugar, flour, and essence until well combined.
Bake and shape
Lightly butter a copper or tinned plate and spread the mixture as thinly as possible.
Bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) until golden.
Cut into long squares and roll them on pieces of wood or shape as desired.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Almonds
- Form the main body of the wafer and give it a nutty flavor and crisp bite.
- Eggs
- Bind the almonds and sugar together into a spreadable mixture.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the wafers brown as they bake.
- Flour
- Adds a little structure so the thin mixture holds together when cut and shaped.
The step that matters
Spreading the mixture as thinly as possible. A thin layer bakes evenly and turns crisp and golden throughout; a thick layer stays soft in the middle and can burn at the edges before it sets.
“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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