Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Cream Caramels
Ingredients
Directions
Make the chocolate base
Combine one-half pound baker's chocolate, one and one-half pounds of sugar, tablespoonful of butter, and one teacupful of rich cream.
Cook all together until the mixture candies, boiling hard for twenty minutes, stirring all the time, then flavor with vanilla.
Put half of this in a buttered bread tin and set aside to harden.
Make the cream layer
Combine three cupfuls of sugar and one cupful of cream, mix and boil for twenty minutes, taking great care not to scorch.
Flavor with juice and rind of a lemon.
Beat constantly until cold and almost stiff.
Put on a layer of chocolate.
Finish the top
Moisten the chocolate left in the stew pan with milk, warm up, and pour over the rest for a top layer.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 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
- Sugar
- Sweetens the candy and, when boiled, sets into a firm, chewy mass.
- Baker's chocolate
- Adds deep chocolate flavor and richness to the base layer.
- Cream
- Adds fat and moisture, giving the candy a soft, smooth texture.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat, contributing richness and a tender, smooth bite.
The step that matters
Boil the sugar mixture for the full twenty minutes while stirring. Sugar must reach the right concentration to set firm. Undercooked candy stays soft and sticky, while scorching gives a bitter flavor and dark specks, so constant stirring and close watch are needed.
“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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