Why it works: Ginger and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,620 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Combine sugar, molasses, shortening or butter, hot coffee, ginger, allspice, and eggs.
Add flour enough to stiffen the dough.
Shape and bake
Roll dough thin.
Bake in hot oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Coffee | 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,620 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + allspicetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,508 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, sweetness, and deep flavor, and helps the cookies brown.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dough and helps it brown and stay tender while baking.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and carries the spice flavors.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure as the cookies set.
The step that matters
Add flour enough to stiffen the dough. Flour builds the structure that keeps the cookies from spreading too thin in the oven. The dough should be firm enough to roll; if it stays soft and sticky, the rolled cookies may lose their shape and bake flat.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, molasses, coffee, ginger, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Clovefits about as well
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, molasses, coffee, ginger, egg. 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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