Why it works: Apple and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
Apple Enchiladas
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spoon fruit evenly onto all tortillas, sprinkle with cinnamon.
Roll up tortillas and place seam side down on lightly greased 8x8 baking pan.
Make the sauce
Bring margarine, sugars and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
Bake and serve
Pour sauce evenly over tortillas; sprinkle with extra cinnamon on top if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Pie Filling | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
What each ingredient does
- Flour tortillas
- Hold the filling and roll up around it, forming the enchilada shell.
- Apple pie filling
- Supplies the fruit filling and most of the sweetness and moisture inside the rolls.
- Margarine
- Adds fat that enriches the sauce and helps it turn glossy and smooth.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and helps it thicken as it boils and simmers.
- Brown sugar
- Adds caramel-like depth and moisture to the sauce.
- Ground cinnamon
- Adds warm aroma that complements the apples.
The step that matters
Simmer the sauce while stirring constantly. Sugar and liquid must be kept moving over heat so they dissolve evenly and do not scorch on the pan bottom. Simmering for the full time lets the sauce thicken enough to coat the tortillas instead of running off.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, cinnamon, sugar):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Blueberryfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, cinnamon, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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