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Dessert

Chocolate Caramels

Chocolate caramels made by cooking chocolate, sugar, molasses, butter, milk, and vanilla until thick.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Kaufman, Nettie M · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 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 ↓

Chocolate Caramels

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the mixture

  1. Add 1 cup grated chocolate, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup New Orleans molasses, a small lump butter, 1 cup milk, and 3 tablespoons vanilla.

  2. Let the milk boil.

  3. Stir in the chocolate.

  4. Continue stirring until lumps are all gone.

Cook and set

  1. Add molasses, sugar, and butter.

  2. Stir constantly, cooking hard all the time, until it is the consistency of mush.

  3. Pour into well-buttered pans.

  4. When slightly cool, mark off into squares.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

365Calories
9 gProtein
17 gFat
42 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 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.

By Kaufman, Nettie M. 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. Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

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

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

  4. Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Chocolate + milktop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,128 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

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

Grated chocolate
Adds cocoa flavor and a deeper brown color to the caramel.
Granulated sugar
Sweetens the caramel and helps it thicken and set firm as it cools.
Milk
Provides moisture and milk solids that add creaminess and browning.
New orleans molasses (in the method)
Adds moisture, dark color and a deeper, slightly bitter sweetness.
Butter (in the method)
Adds fat for a smooth, tender texture and a richer flavor.

The step that matters

Stirring constantly while cooking. Milk solids and sugar scorch on the hot pan bottom if left still. Constant stirring spreads the heat evenly, and the mixture thickens as water evaporates and sugar concentrates.

“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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