Name: Cocoanut Ice Caramels
Ingredients: 4 lbs brown sugar; 4 lbs glucose; 1 pint black strap molasses; 2 oz cocoa butter; ½ lb butter; water (as needed); sliced cocoanut (to taste)

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 ↓

Cocoanut Ice Caramels

Ingredients

Directions

Make the caramel base

Combine brown sugar, glucose, black strap molasses, cocoa butter, butter, and enough water to dissolve the sugar in a large pot.
Cook the mixture over medium heat until it reaches the soft ball stage.
Stir in the sliced coconut until it can no longer absorb more.
Pour the mixture onto a slab.
Roll it out to half the thickness of a caramel.

Assemble and set

Reheat 7 lbs of fondant.
Spread the fondant over one half of the rolled mixture.
Place the other half on top.
Press down evenly.
Allow to cool.
Cut into pieces.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,225 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + cocoa buttertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together49 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Molasses + cocoa buttertop 22% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Cocoa butter + buttertop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together25 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

Brown sugar: Provides the main sweetness and the caramel flavor and body.
Glucose: Inhibits crystallization, keeping the caramel smooth and chewy rather than grainy.
Black strap molasses: Adds dark color, deep flavor, and moisture to the caramel.
Cocoa butter: Adds fat for a rich mouthfeel and a smoother, softer bite.
Butter: Adds fat for richness and a tender texture in the caramel.

The step that matters

Cook to the soft ball stage. Sugar syrup cooked too little stays soft and sticky, while cooked too far it turns hard and brittle. Reaching the soft ball stage gives the chewy set caramel texture this recipe needs.

“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.

Molasses Cookies96 recipes

Molasses Cake90 recipes

Coconut Pudding26 recipes

Coconut Cake17 recipes

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Cocoanut Ice Caramels