Name: Rose Kerner
Ingredients: one cup brown sugar; one cup molasses; one cup shortening; one teaspoon soda dissolved in coffee; one scant cup boiling coffee; two small teaspoons ginger; one-fourth inch thick

Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Rose Kerner

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

Combine one cup brown sugar, one cup molasses, one cup shortening, one scant cup boiling coffee, two small teaspoons ginger, and one teaspoon soda dissolved in coffee.
Add flour to make a soft dough.

Shape and bake

Roll dough out on a floured board to one-fourth inch thickness.
Place dough on buttered tins.
Sprinkle dough with sugar.
Bake in a moderate oven.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

211Calories

0 gProtein

12 gFat

28 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
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.

By Paidar, Marie, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

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.

Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,225 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,116 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together14,054 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Sugar + coffeetop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,344 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Molasses + coffeetop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together640 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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 deep sweetness, moisture and a dark color to the cookies.
Shortening: Provides fat for tenderness and a soft crumb.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture, helping the cookies brown as they bake.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic molasses to help the dough rise and spread.