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 ↓
Chocolate Chip Cookies I
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Beat butter with electric mixer until fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla until blended.
Mix in Equal™ and brown sugar until combined.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt.
Mix into butter mixture until well blended.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake and cool
Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden color.
Transfer to wire rack and let cool.
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 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| 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.
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).
-
Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
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).
-
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Vanilla and sugar 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
- Butter or margarine
- Creams with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the cookies their body.
- Brown sugar
- Adds moisture, chewiness and caramel flavor, and helps browning.
- Baking soda
- Reacts to lift the dough and promote browning at the edges.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Provide pockets of melted chocolate and a rich, bittersweet flavor.
The step that matters
Baking time. Cookies keep firming as they cool, so pulling them once they are light golden keeps them chewy. Baking longer dries them out and makes them hard and crisp.
“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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