Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Sour Cream Drop Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
First, cut 1/4 cup nuts into pieces.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a greased tin sheet.
Bake in a moderate oven.
Optional variation
Optional: double the amount of flour, omit nuts and raising, chill mixture, roll out, cut into shapes before baking.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Pastry | 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.
-
Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Vanilla + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together782 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
- Pastry flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cookie's shape while it bakes.
- Butter or margarine
- Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and carries flavor.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cookie edges brown.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and acidity, which tenderizes the crumb and reacts with the soda.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the sour cream to release gas that lightens the cookies.
The step that matters
Adding the sour cream and flour alternately. Adding the flour and sour cream in turns, rather than all at once, helps the batter blend smoothly. Overmixing flour develops gluten, which makes cookies tough, so mixing gently keeps them tender.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, butter, sugar, egg, flour, vanilla):
- Raisinthe original
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutfits about as well
- Strawberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, butter, sugar, egg, flour, vanilla. 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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