Why it works: Almond and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,961 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Make the dough
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the chopped almonds, milk, baking powder, and a splash of vanilla.
Gradually add enough flour to form a dough that can be rolled out.
Shape and bake
Roll the dough thin and cut out shapes using a heart-shaped cutter.
Moisten the tops with a mixture of beaten yolk and milk.
Sprinkle the reserved chopped almonds over the cookies and dust with sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden.
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.
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.
-
Almond + vanillatop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air, giving the cookies a tender, rich texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure and richness to the cookies.
- Almonds
- Add nutty flavor and a crunchy texture throughout the dough and on top.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking, helping the cookies rise and stay light.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the butter cream to a light, fluffy base.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that lets the dough be rolled out and cut into shapes.
The step that matters
Gradually add the flour. Flour should be added little by little until the dough just holds together and can be rolled. Too much flour absorbs moisture and makes the cookies dry and tough.
“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.
More almond cookies recipes
You might also like
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.