Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Brownie Shortbread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the shortbread base
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease an 11" x 17" baking pan.
In a food processor or with an electric mixer, process or beat the butter, flour, sugar, and salt until the mixture holds together and forms a dough.
Press the dough over the bottom of the pan.
Bake the shortbread base for 20 minutes or until light golden and firm when touched.
Make and bake the brownie layer
Heat butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until melted.
Cook the melted mixture for 5 minutes.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, and baking powder until blended.
Whisk the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
Pour the brownie mixture over the shortbread base.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top feels firm.
Cool in the pan before cutting into bars.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Cake | 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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Flour + sugartop 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).
-
Butter + chocolatetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,543 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness to the shortbread and fat to the brownie layer.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides structure to the shortbread dough and sets the brownie layer.
- Eggs
- Bind the brownie layer and help it set as it bakes.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens both layers and contributes to a tender texture.
- Unsweetened chocolate
- Gives the brownie layer its chocolate flavor and fudgy body.
The step that matters
Cool the chocolate mixture before whisking it into the eggs. If the melted chocolate and butter are still hot, they can scramble the eggs instead of blending smoothly, which affects the texture of the brownie layer.
“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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