Name: Double-fudge Cream Cheese Brownies
Ingredients: 1 cup butter; 4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate; 2 cups sugar; 1½ cups flour; 4 eggs, slightly beaten; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp salt; 2 tsp vanilla; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Why it works: Chocolate and vanilla 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 ↓

Double-fudge Cream Cheese Brownies

Ingredients

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.
In 2 quart saucepan combine 1 cup butter and unsweetened chocolate.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted (4 – 6 minutes).
Stir in remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread half of batter into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
In a small bowl combine the filling.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

851Calories

21 gProtein

27 gFat

126 gCarbs

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.

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.

Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,020 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,241 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Chocolate + sugartop 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

Chocolate Cream171 recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes

Chocolate Cookies76 recipes

Chocolate Fudge55 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Double-fudge Cream Cheese Brownies