Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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. Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together10,020 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

2. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together35,032 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together19,241 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together15,404 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Flour

Provides the structure that holds the cookie together as it bakes.

Butter

Adds fat for tenderness and rich flavor, and helps the creamed mixture trap air.

Eggs

Bind the dough and add richness and structure.

Baking soda

Reacts to help the cookies rise, spread and brown.

Brown sugar

Adds moisture and chewiness, plus a deeper caramel flavor.

Granulated sugar

Helps the cookies spread and crisp at the edges, and adds sweetness.

The step that matters