Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 19,175 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 12Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (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.
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Beat the room-temperature butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the whole egg and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla.
Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together in a separate bowl.
Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, and start and finish with the flour. Mix only until combined.
Toss the frozen blueberries with a spoonful of the flour mixture, then fold them gently into the batter.
Divide the batter among the liners, filling each nearly to the top. If using, sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the tops (optional).
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move the muffins to a rack to cool completely.
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.
-
Vanilla + milktop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together19,175 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 3% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together35,031 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Butter + flourtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together122,858 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + vanillatop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together19,983 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,031 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.