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Dessert

Mamie Jindrich

A sweet fudge made with sugar, milk, peanut butter, vanilla, chocolate, molasses, and butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Paidar, Marie, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Mamie Jindrich

Ingredients

Directions

Make the peanut butter fudge

  1. Combine two cups sugar, one-half cup milk, two heaping tablespoons peanut butter, and a few drops vanilla.

  2. Boil all together for five minutes.

  3. Take from fire and beat until it thickens.

  4. Pour onto a buttered platter and cut into squares.

Make the chocolate fudge

  1. Combine two cups sugar, pinch salt, one tablespoon molasses in a cup and fill the cup with milk, one teaspoon butter, one-half teaspoon vanilla, and one square unsweetened chocolate.

  2. Stir the above ingredients except butter and vanilla.

  3. Boil until a soft ball will form when dropped into cold water.

  4. Remove from fire, add butter and vanilla, and beat until thick.

  5. Pour into a buttered pan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

686Calories
17 gProtein
42 gFat
62 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 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.

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.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

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

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Chocolate + peanuttop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,279 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).

  4. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

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

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

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

Sugar
Dissolves and recrystallizes to give the fudge its sweetness and firm body.
Milk
Adds moisture and dairy solids that make the fudge creamy rather than brittle.
Peanut butter
Contributes peanut flavor and fat that softens the texture of the fudge.
Unsweetened chocolate
Supplies deep chocolate flavor, color and fat for a rich fudge.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, helping the fudge stay smooth as it sets.
Molasses
Adds dark color, moisture and a deeper, slightly bitter sweetness.

The step that matters

Boiling to the soft ball stage. The sugar syrup's concentration sets the final firmness. Stopping too early leaves fudge soft and runny, while boiling too long makes it hard and grainy.

Swap the peanut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, chocolate, molasses):

  1. Almondfits better
  2. Cocoafits about as well
  3. Hazelnutfits about as well
  4. Peanutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, chocolate, molasses. 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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