Name: Custom-Made Ice Cream Sandwich
Yield: Makes 8 cookies; 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon espresso; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter; 2 tablespoons strawberry jam; 3 tablespoons chopped maraschino cherries; 3 tablespoons chopped candied orange; 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios; 3 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate; 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter; 1 small banana, diced; 1/4 cup mini marshmallows; 1/4 cup dulce de leche; 1/2 cup chopped malted milk balls; 2 tablespoons chocolate malted powder; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate; 2 teaspoon espresso powder; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh raspberries; 2 tablespoons pureed and strained blackberries; 3 tablespoons fudge sauce; 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies

Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. 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.

Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cocoa powder + vanillatop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,189 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Vanilla + peanuttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,176 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,241 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Swap the strawberry jam

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, peanut):

Coconutfits better
Bananafits better
Figfits better
Strawberry jamthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, peanut. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Peanut	1 oz (28g)	161
Pistachio	1 oz (28g / ~49 kernels)	159
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Banana	1 medium (118g)	105
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Cherry	1 cup (138g)	87
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Raspberry	1 cup (123g)	64
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Blackberry	1 cup (144g)	62
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Strawberry Jam	1 cup (152g)	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Coffee	not in our table	0
Marshmallow	not in our table	0
Dulce De Leche	not in our table	0
Fudge	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Peppermint	not in our table	0

Custom-Made Ice Cream Sandwich