Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Creaai Caramels
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the syrup
Put 1 pound sugar, 1 pound glucose, 1 pound butter, and 1 cup cream over the fire.
Stir and cook until it boils throughout.
Then stir in gradually so as not to stop the boiling, a second cup of cream.
Stir every 3 or 4 minutes until the hard ball is reached.
Set and shape
Add 1 teaspoonful vanilla, and turn into a large shallow well buttered pan.
When nearly cold, cut in cubes.
Roll these at once in waxed paper.
It may need to boil for an hour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
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.
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 + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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
- Provides sweetness and bulk, and sets firm as the syrup cooks down.
- Glucose
- Interferes with sugar crystallising, keeping the candy smooth rather than grainy.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for a rich, tender texture and mouthfeel.
- Cream
- Adds milk fat and moisture for a softer, creamier bite.
The step that matters
Stir every 3 or 4 minutes until the hard ball is reached. The candy's firmness depends on how far the syrup has cooked. Stopping early leaves it soft and sticky, while cooking too far makes it hard and brittle. Regular stirring keeps the sugar from crystallising and scorching on the base of the pan.
“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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