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 ↓
Cream Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the base
Add 4 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar.
Add 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
Add 1 cup thin cream and 2 teaspoons soda.
Add 1 teaspoon butter.
Boil, cool and pull
Boil until it will crack when dropped into cold water; pour into a buttered pan to cool, then pull until white.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Water | 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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked 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
- Forms the sweet base that sets into candy as it boils and cools.
- Thin cream (in the method)
- Adds fat and milk solids that soften the texture and whiten the candy.
- Vinegar (in the method)
- Its acid helps keep sugar from forming large crystals, so the candy stays smooth.
- Vanilla
- Adds aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Boiling to the cold-water crack stage. The final firmness depends on how far the sugar mixture is boiled. Stopping early leaves the candy soft and sticky, while boiling too long makes it hard and brittle. Testing by dropping a little into cold water shows when it is ready.
“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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