Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 5,287 recipes mention both. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
The recipe
6 pancakesIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat, soy (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, fat-free plain yogurt, olive oil, vanilla extract and stevia packets until smooth.
In a separate bowl, stir together the soy flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until no dry streaks remain. Let the batter rest for 2 minutes while the pan heats.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat it with a little of the olive oil if needed.
Pour about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet and cook until bubbles form on top and the edges look set, about 2 minutes.
Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until golden and cooked through in the center. Repeat with the remaining batter and serve warm.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Vanilla + cinnamontop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Yogurt + olivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,633 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Flaxseed + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together128 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Olive + flaxseedtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together99 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Yogurt + vanillatop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,191 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the flaxseed
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, yogurt, flour, sugar substitute, olive, vanilla, cinnamon):
- Almondbetter flavor fit
- Pecansabout as good a flavor fit
- Walnutabout as good a flavor fit
- Flaxseedthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, yogurt, flour, sugar substitute, olive, vanilla, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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