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Dessert

Old-fashioned Molasses Candy

A sweet candy made from molasses, sugar, chocolate, and peanuts.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Friday club, Yarmouth, Mass. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Chocolate and peanut are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,279 recipes. Both carry 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓

Old-fashioned Molasses Candy

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine three cups New Orleans molasses, two cups sugar, and butter the size of an egg.

  2. Boil the mixture until it hardens in cold water.

  3. Add four squares of chocolate and one pint of shelled peanuts.

  4. Cool the mixture in shallow pans.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

423Calories
9 gProtein
23 gFat
49 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Friday club, Yarmouth, Mass. [from old catalog]. 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. Chocolate + peanuttop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,279 recipes

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

  2. Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Molasses + chocolatetop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together618 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  5. Sugar + peanuttop 27% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,545 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

New orleans molasses
Provides the bulk of the sweetness and a deep, rich flavor.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps the mixture set firm as it cooks down.
Chocolate
Adds bitter depth and flavor to the sweet molasses base.
Shelled peanuts
Adds crunch and nutty flavor throughout the candy.

The step that matters

Boil the mixture until it hardens in cold water. Candy sets by driving off water and concentrating sugar. Boiling too short leaves it soft and sticky, while boiling too long makes it brittle or burnt. Testing a drop in cold water shows when it has reached the right stage.

Swap the peanut

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

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

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