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 ↓
Spice 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 the sugar, lard, eggs, molasses, and baking soda until well combined.
Gradually add the flour and mix until a dough forms.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thick.
Cut out cookies using a 3-inch cutter.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden.
Season
Add spices to the dough according to your taste.
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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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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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cookies together as they bake.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown and stay tender.
- Lard
- Supplies fat that tenderizes the dough and gives a short texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add moisture and structure.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, deep flavour and a darker colour.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to lift the cookies and help them spread and brown.
The step that matters
Add the flour gradually and mix only until a dough forms. Once flour is hydrated, overmixing develops excess gluten, which makes the cookies tough and dense rather than tender.
“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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