Why it works: Sugar and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
White Molasses Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the refined sugar, sugar-house syrup, and molasses in a large pot.
Boil the mixture until it hardens.
Add the baking soda and mix well.
Work the candy in the usual manner until smooth.
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 + syruptop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Syrup + molassestop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together272 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 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
- Refined sugar
- Provides the main sweetness and bulk, and crystallizes to give the candy its body.
- Sugar-house syrup
- Adds sweetness and moisture, helping the sugar dissolve smoothly during boiling.
- Molasses
- Adds deep flavor, color, and extra moisture to the finished candy.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the hot sugar mixture to lighten the candy's texture as it aerates.
The step that matters
Boil the mixture until it hardens. Sugar syrup must reach the right concentration to set firm. Under-boiling leaves the candy sticky, while over-boiling makes it brittle or scorched. The baking soda should be added only after boiling, since its reaction with the hot syrup causes it to foam.
“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.
More molasses candy recipes
You might also like
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipes
Molasses Sponge Cake9 recipes
Oranges in Syrup9 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.