Name: Molasses Cookies
Ingredients: 1 cup molasses; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 cups butter or butter substitute; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 egg, beaten; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 3 cups all-purpose flour (more if necessary); 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 4 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Why it works: Cinnamon and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,536 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,380 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,620 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,341 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together30,779 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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

Molasses: Adds moisture, depth of flavour, and dark colour while contributing to a tender, chewy crumb.
Butter: Provides fat for tenderness and flavour, and helps the dough spread and hold its shape.
All-purpose flour: Provides the structure that sets the dough and holds the cookies together as they bake.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps the dough brown and spread during baking.
Egg: Binds the dough and adds structure and richness to the cookies.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas, helping the cookies rise and brown.

The step that matters

Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. Adding the flour in portions keeps the dough evenly mixed and prevents overworking, which would make the cookies tough. Check the dough's stiffness so it matches the rolled or drop style you chose.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, flour, allspice):

Nutmegfits better
Clovefits better
Cardamomfits about as well
Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, flour, allspice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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 Cookies