Name: Mary-Nell's Linzer Bars
Ingredients: 6 c. flour; 1 c. granulated sugar; 2 tsp. salt; 2 tsp. baking soda; 2 tsp. baking powder; 2 c. Crisco shortening; 2 c. sour cream; 2 tsp. vanilla; 4 egg yolks

Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Mary-Nell's Linzer Bars

Ingredients

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together; set aside.
Cream Crisco, sour cream and vanilla.
Add egg yolks and beat well.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Place half of dough in bottom of jelly roll pan. Top with nut filling.
Roll out remaining dough on floured surface. Cut in long strips, about 1/2" wide.
Place strips on top of nuts, starting at one upper corner, and going down to the opposite lower corner.
Continue, leaving space between strips.
Then reverse direction, so that you create a lattice-top.
Fill the open areas with a small amount of plum jam. Bake at 375F, 20-30 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Cool thoroughly, cut into squares.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

796Calories

36 gProtein

19 gFat

115 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,241 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together12,301 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

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

Swap the vanilla

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, cream, egg):

Raisinfits about as well
Vanillathe original
Figfits less well
Strawberryfits less well

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

Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes

White Cake431 recipes

Pound Cake373 recipes

Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes

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Mary-Nell's Linzer Bars