Why it works: Vanilla and chocolate are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,020 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Jordan's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
serves large groupIngredients
Directions
Prepare the crust
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine crumbs and butter.
Pat firmly in 9 inch spring form pan.
Make the filling
In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
Add Eagle Brand milk, beat until smooth.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
In small bowl, toss together 1/2 cup chips with flour to coat.
Stir into cream cheese mixture.
Pour into pan.
Sprinkle remaining chips on top.
Bake, cool and serve
Bake 1 hour or until springs back when touched.
Cool then chill.
Remove side of pan.
Keep refrigerated (serves large group).
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cream Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 99 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
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.
-
Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Butter + cream cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,747 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Condensed milk + chocolatetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together541 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Vanilla + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Cream cheese
- Provides the rich, dense body that gives the cheesecake its structure and creamy texture.
- Eggs
- Set when baked, giving the filling structure and firmness as it cools.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Adds sweetness and a smooth, thick creaminess to the filling.
- Oreo cookies
- Form the crisp, crumbly base that holds the cheesecake together.
- Butter
- Binds the cookie crumbs so the crust holds its shape.
- Mini chocolate chips
- Add pockets of melted chocolate and sweetness throughout the cheesecake.
The step that matters
Bake until the centre springs back. Baking too long dries and cracks the filling, while underbaking leaves it loose. The centre should spring back when touched so the eggs set, and it firms further as it cools and chills.
Swap the vanilla
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, cream cheese, condensed milk, egg, chocolate, flour):
- Vanillathe original
- Coconutfits about as well
- Bananafits less well
- Strawberryfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, cream cheese, condensed milk, egg, chocolate, flour. 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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