Why it works: Flour and cocoa powder are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,244 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Cocoa Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Cream the shortening with the sugar and cocoa powder.
Add gradually the milk and the beaten egg, and mix well.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt and add to the first mixture.
Shape and bake
Roll out on floured pastry board to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
Cut with cookie cutter.
Bake on greased baking pan in hot oven for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
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.
-
Flour + cocoa powdertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,244 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Sugar + cocoa powdertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,920 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cookies together as they bake.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that gives the cookies a tender, crumbly texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the cookies rise and lighten.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds moisture and structure.
- Cocoa powder
- Supplies the chocolate flavour and dark colour of the cookies.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown at the edges.
The step that matters
Bake on greased pan in hot oven for about 15 minutes. Baking time and oven heat set the structure and texture. Too long dries the cookies out and makes them hard, while too short leaves the centre doughy.
“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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