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 ↓
Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Mix the cake crumbs and molasses together and let them stand overnight.
In the morning, add the butter, chocolate, sugar, baking soda, eggs, and flour.
Roll out the dough thin and bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
Ice and finish
For the icing, melt the chocolate with a little sweet milk or water on the stove, stirring until dissolved.
Once cooled, ice the cookies.
Place them in the oven for 1 minute to harden the frosting.
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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Cake crumbs
- Add bulk and a soft, tender body to the dough.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, deep sweetness, and a darker color to the cookies.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to lift and lighten the dough.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure and richness.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cookies together.
The step that matters
Baking the cookies thin in a hot oven. Rolling the dough thin and baking it hot sets the edges quickly. Thick dough or a cool oven can make cookies spread, dry out, or bake unevenly.
“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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