Why it works: Sugar and peppermint are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,082 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Peppermint Lozenges
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the gum
Soak the gumdragon in tepid water for six hours.
Squeeze and wring the soaked gumdragon through a cloth.
On a clean marble slab, work the gum until it is white and elastic.
Make the paste
Gradually mix in the icing sugar.
Add the essence of peppermint and cobalt blue while working the paste until smooth and elastic.
Roll out the prepared paste to your desired thickness.
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 + pepperminttop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,082 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gumdragon
- Forms the elastic base that gives the lozenges their firm, chewy structure.
- Icing sugar
- Stiffens the gum into a workable paste and provides sweetness.
- Essence of peppermint
- Provides the characteristic minty aroma and flavour.
The step that matters
Working the sugar into the gum. Icing sugar must be added gradually so the gum absorbs it evenly. Adding it too fast makes the paste stiff and crumbly, while under-working leaves it sticky and uneven in texture.
“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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