Name: Ginger Cookies
Ingredients: 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar a pinch of salt flour to roll stiff bake in a hot oven; a pinch of salt flour to roll stiff bake in a hot oven; 1 egg 1 cupful sugar 1 cupful molasses 1 teaspoonful ginger 1 teaspoonful so; 1 cupful sugar 1 cupful molasses 1 teaspoonful ginger 1 teaspoonful soda 2 t; 1 cupful molasses 1 teaspoonful ginger 1 teaspoonful soda 2 tablespoonfuls vin; 1 teaspoonful ginger 1 teaspoonful soda 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar a pinch; 1 teaspoonful soda 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar a pinch of salt flour to roll stif; 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar a pinch of salt flour to roll stiff bake in a hot o; ginger; vinegar; salt

Why it works: Sugar and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

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 + molassestop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,225 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,116 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,564 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

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

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Egg: Binds the dough and adds moisture and structure as it sets.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown and stay tender.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, moisture, dark color and a chewy texture.
Soda: Reacts with the acid in the dough to release gas, helping the cookies rise.
Flour: Provides the structure that lets the dough be rolled stiff and hold its shape.
Ginger: Gives the cookies their warm, spicy aroma and flavor.

The step that matters

Add soda and vinegar. Baking soda reacts right away with the acid in vinegar and molasses to release carbon dioxide. Once that gas starts forming, the dough should be shaped and baked promptly so the rise is not lost while it waits.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, flour, egg, sugar, molasses):

Cinnamonfits better
Jalapenofits better
Nutmegfits about as well
Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, flour, egg, sugar, molasses. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dough

Bake

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)