Oatmeal Cookies

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.

1. Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,075 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

2. Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,377 recipes

   Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).

3. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,623 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together9,225 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

5. Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together3,577 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

Lard

Cut in as fat to tenderize the cookies and give a short, crumbly texture.

Eggs

Bind the dough and add structure, and their beaten egg gives the tops a glossy, browned finish.

Soda

Reacts with the sour milk to produce gas that helps the cookies rise and spread.

Sour milk

Its acidity activates the soda and adds moisture to the dough.

Sugar

Sweetens the cookies and helps them brown during baking.

Flour

Provides the main structure that holds the cookies together.

The step that matters

Swap the peanut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, raisin, molasses, egg, milk, flour, nutmeg):

1. Almondfits better
2. Chestnutfits better
3. Pistachiofits better
4. Peanutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, raisin, molasses, egg, milk, flour, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.