Name: Entenmann's Fat-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients: waldine van geffen; 1 tbsp molasses; 3 raw egg whites; 1 cup dark raisins; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla; 1 cup light brown sugar -- packed; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk powder; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 2 1/2 cup quaker brand quick-cooking; rolled oats; 1 cup all-purpose flour

Why it works: Raisin and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

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.

Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,390 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Vanilla + oatstop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,532 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Cinnamon + oatstop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,394 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

Vanilla and sugar 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

Raw egg whites: Provide structure and lift, helping the cookies hold their shape while baking.
All-purpose flour: Provides structure as its proteins set during baking.
Baking powder: Releases gas that makes the cookies rise and lighten.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown and spread.
Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness, moisture and a caramel flavor.
Quick-cooking rolled oats: Add chewy texture and body to the dough.

The step that matters

Do not overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool on the sheet. Overbaking drives off moisture and sugars can darken, leaving them dry and hard rather than soft.

Swap the raisin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, egg, vanilla, sugar, milk powder, cinnamon, oats):

Blueberryfits better
Figfits better
Pumpkinfits better
Raisinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, egg, vanilla, sugar, milk powder, cinnamon, oats. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Oat	1/2 cup dry (40g)	154
Milk Powder	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6

Entenmann's Fat-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies