Chocolate Chip 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. Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together10,020 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

2. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together35,032 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

3. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Vanilla + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together19,241 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together15,404 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Creams with sugar to trap air and adds fat for a tender texture.

Brown sugar

Adds moisture and molasses flavor, and helps the cookies stay soft and chewy.

Eggs

Bind the dough and add structure and richness.

All-purpose flour

Provides the structure that holds the cookies together as they bake.

Baking soda

Reacts to raise the dough and encourages browning.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Add melted pockets of chocolate flavor throughout the cookies.