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Dessert

Molasses Kisses

Molasses Kisses are a chewy candy made from molasses, sugar, cocoa butter, and gelatin.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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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 ↓

Molasses Kisses

Ingredients

Directions

Make the candy base

  1. Combine yellow sugar, glucose, and water in a kettle.

  2. Add cocoa butter to the mixture.

  3. Heat the mixture until it reaches 250°F (120°C) for a stiff ball stage.

  4. Soak the gelatin in water.

  5. Add the soaked gelatin to the kettle.

  6. Add molasses, butter, and salt to the kettle.

  7. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 252°F (111°C) or 253°F (123°C).

Knead and shape

  1. Pour the mixture onto a well‑greased slab.

  2. Squeeze excess water from the gelatin.

  3. Place the gelatin in the center of the batch.

  4. Add baking soda.

  5. Knead the mixture well.

  6. Pull the mixture into a round shape and form it like a bottle.

  7. Lay it down and pull it out to the size of a broom handle.

  8. Cut into small pieces with shears.

  9. Wrap each piece in thin wax paper.

  10. Dust your table with powdered sugar or starch.

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.

  1. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Sugar + cocoa buttertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together49 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together98,233 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Cocoa butter + molassestop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. 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

Yellow sugar
Provides the bulk of the sweetness and the structure of the candy once cooked.
Glucose
Inhibits crystallization, keeping the candy smooth and chewy rather than grainy.
Molasses
Adds deep flavour and colour, and extra moisture that keeps the candy soft.
Gelatin
Adds elasticity so the cooked mass can be pulled and stretched into strands.
Baking soda
Aerates the cooked mass when added, lightening its texture and making it tender.
Butter
Adds fat for a softer bite and a richer mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Reaching the final cooking temperature. Sugar syrup firmness depends on its final temperature, since water boils off as it cooks. Too low leaves the candy sticky, too high makes it hard and brittle. Check with a thermometer.

“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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