Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Crumb Cookies
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.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix together sugar, lard, flour, crumbs, baking soda, water, molasses, coarse sea salt, and spices until well combined.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out cookies using a round cutter.
Place the cookies on baking pans and make a cross on each cookie.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden.
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the main structure that holds the cookies together as they bake.
- Lard
- Adds fat for a tender, short texture and helps the cookies brown.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and a rich, slightly acidic flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to lift the dough and help it spread and brown.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dough and contributes to browning during baking.
The step that matters
Rolling and cutting the dough. Dough that is rolled too thin or left to warm up can spread unevenly or become tough. Keeping an even thickness and flouring the surface lightly helps the cookies bake at the same rate and keep their shape.
“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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