Name: Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast
Ingredients: 6 eggs; 2 cups half-and-half; 1 Tbs. vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; Pinch of salt; 8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread, each about; 3/4 inch thick (see related recipe at right); Unsalted butter for cooking; Confectioners' sugar for dusting; Maple syrup for serving

Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. 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.

Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Cinnamon + raisin breadtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together30,779 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Vanilla + maple syruptop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together752 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Vanilla and sugar 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

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Maple Syrup	1 tbsp (20ml)	52
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast