Why it works: Peanut and chocolate are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,279 recipes. Both carry 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓
Special K Bars
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Combine sugar and Karo syrup in a stock pan and bring to a rolling boil (the point when it "just" starts to boil or the bars will be hard and not soft and chewy).
Stir in the peanut butter (if you spray your measuring cups with Pam the peanut butter comes out easier and won't stick).
Mix well and then fold in the Special K cereal.
Spread cereal mixture in a 13x9 inch pan (grease bottom only – or spray with Pam).
Top and set
Melt the chips together (in a double-boiler or in the microwave) and then spread on top.
Let set and then cut.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Peanut | 1 oz (28g) | 161 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Syrup | 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.
-
Peanut + chocolatetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,279 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Syrup + chocolatetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,239 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Peanut + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,754 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White sugar
- Dissolves into the syrup and, once boiled, sets into a chewy, sticky binder.
- Light karo syrup
- Keeps the sugar from crystallising and gives the bars a soft, chewy texture.
- Peanut butter
- Adds fat and flavour and helps bind the cereal into a cohesive mass.
- Special k cereal
- Provides the bulk and crisp structure that the syrup mixture holds together.
The step that matters
Bring the syrup to just a rolling boil. Boiling the sugar and syrup only until it just starts to boil keeps the mixture soft. Boiling longer raises the sugar concentration, so the set bars turn hard instead of chewy.
Swap the peanut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, syrup, butter, chocolate):
- Almondfits better
- Hazelnutfits about as well
- Pecansfits about as well
- Peanutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, syrup, butter, chocolate. 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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