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 ↓
Ginger 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the dough
In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Stir in the molasses, ginger, and vinegar.
Dissolve the baking soda in a little cold water and add it to the mixture. Mix until well combined.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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 the sugar to give the dough structure and a tender, rich crumb.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure as they set in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic vinegar and molasses to release gas, helping the cookies rise and spread.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and a deep sweetness that promotes browning.
- Vinegar
- Acidifies the dough so the baking soda reacts and lifts the cookies.
The step that matters
Dissolve the baking soda in a little cold water and add it to the mixture.. Baking soda needs to be fully dissolved and evenly mixed so it reacts with the acids in the dough. Unevenly distributed soda leaves pockets that taste soapy or bitter and cause uneven rising.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg, molasses, vinegar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Allspicefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, egg, molasses, vinegar. 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.
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