Name: Plain Macaroons
Ingredients: 1 pound almond paste; 1½ cups sugar (scant); 6 egg whites; 1 tablespoon white cornmeal

Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓

Plain Macaroons

Ingredients

1 pound almond paste
1½ cups sugar (scant)
6 egg whites
1 tablespoon white cornmeal

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Make the batter

In a bowl, mix the almond paste and sugar until well combined.
Add the egg whites and cornmeal, and stir until smooth.

Bake

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.

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.

Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,679 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122,807 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,645 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Almond paste: Provides the main almond flavor and a chewy, moist center.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown as they bake.
Egg whites: Give structure and lift, binding the mixture so it holds its shape.
White cornmeal: Adds a light, slightly gritty texture to the cookies.