Name: Bran Gems
Ingredients: 1/2 cupful bran; 2 tablespoonfuls Crisco; 1 tablespoonful whole wheat flour; 1/2 cupful white flour; 1/2 cupful milk; 1 saltspoonful salt; 1 egg; 2 tablespoonfuls molasses; 1 teaspoonful baking powder

Why it works: Wheat and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,418 recipes. Both carry (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, melon. The science ↓

Bran Gems

Ovena hot oven

Timeeight to ten minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

Mix Crisco thoroughly with molasses.
Add egg, well beaten.
Add milk, salt, bran, flours, and baking powder.

Bake

Divide into well greased gem pans.
Bake in a hot oven for eight to ten minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

740Calories

27 gProtein

14 gFat

123 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Wheat + milktop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,418 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,373 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,429 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Eggs: Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
Baking powder: Releases gas to lift the batter so the cookies rise and turn light.
White flour: Provides the main structure that sets as the cookies bake.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, dark color, and moisture to the dough.
Crisco: Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and carries flavor.
Bran: Adds fiber-rich bulk that gives the cookies a coarser, nubbier texture.

“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.