Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
German Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Mix honey, sugar, flour, pounded almonds, finely cut citron, brandy, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice and pulp well.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C).
Sprinkle sugar on top while hot.
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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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Honey
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cookies stay soft and chewy.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together as it bakes.
- Almonds
- Add richness and body to the dough, contributing fat and a nutty flavor.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dough and caramelizes on the hot surface for a crisp finish.
The step that matters
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C). A low, slow bake dries the dough gradually so it sets without browning too fast. Honey-rich doughs scorch easily at high heat, so the oven temperature matters.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (honey, sugar, flour, almond, brandy, cinnamon, clove):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against honey, sugar, flour, almond, brandy, cinnamon, clove. 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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