Why it works: Cinnamon and tea work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 245 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Cinnamon Drops
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the dough
Beat 1 egg and 1 cupful sugar.
Add 1 cupful molasses and 1 cupful butter.
Add 1 cupful water and 2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon.
Add 1 heaping teaspoonful and 5 cupfuls flour.
Bake
Bake in cups.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Tea | 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.
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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Cinnamon + teatop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together245 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
-
Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Cinnamon + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,928 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the drops together as they bake.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture and adds structure and richness to the dough.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and rich flavor.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and moisture to the dough.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the drops brown as they bake.
- Cinnamon
- Adds warm spice aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Adding the flour. Once flour is mixed in, gluten starts to develop, so stirring too long makes the drops tough and dense. Mix only until the flour is just combined.
“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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