Toffee-topped Cheesecake Bars

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. Condensed milk + evaporated milktop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together168 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

2. Butter + cream cheesetop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,747 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

3. Sugar + evaporated milktop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together804 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

4. Sugar + condensed milktop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together804 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

5. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter 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

Eggs

Bind the filling and help it set into a sliceable custard.

Cream cheese

Gives the filling its rich, creamy body and tang.

Sweetened condensed milk

Adds sweetness and moisture, and sets firm as it cools.

Butter

Adds fat and richness, binding the cocoa crust into a crumbly base.

All-purpose flour

Provides the structure of the crumbly crust.

The step that matters

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk, egg):

1. Almondfits better
2. Pecansfits better
3. Walnutfits better
4. Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.