Why it works: Flour and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,149 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cheesey Dog Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Combine everything except water.
Whisk in food processor until consistency of cornmeal.
Then add water until mixture forms a ball.
Shape and bake
Roll it into 1/2" thickness and cut into shapes.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets about 10 min. (depending on size of shapes) at 400.
Cool and store
Cool and store in refrigerator.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Water | 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 + garlictop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,149 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cheddar cheese + garlictop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,633 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Flour + cheddar cheesetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,592 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- All purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together once baked.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Adds savory flavour and fat, and helps the cookies brown.
- Vegetable oil
- Adds fat for a tender, crumbly texture.
- Water
- Hydrates the flour so the mixture binds into a dough ball.
The step that matters
Add the water gradually. Flour absorbs liquid unevenly, so adding water a little at a time until a ball forms prevents a dough that is either dry and crumbly or sticky and tough.
Swap the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, cheddar cheese):
- Jalapenofits better
- Turmericfits better
- Cuminfits about as well
- Garlicthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, cheddar cheese. 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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