Why it works: Molasses and sugar 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 ↓
Molasses Candy
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, combine molasses, vinegar, sugar, and butter.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches a soft ball stage.
Remove from heat and stir in the dissolved baking soda.
Allow to cool until manageable, then pull the candy until it turns white.
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.
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides the dark color, deep flavor, and chewy body of the candy.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the candy set firm as the syrup cooks.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that helps prevent sugar crystallization, keeping the candy smooth.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic syrup to create gas bubbles that lighten the candy's texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and a richer flavor.
The step that matters
Pulling the candy until it turns white. Pulling incorporates air into the cooled, thickened syrup, which changes its color from dark to light and makes it opaque and chewy rather than glassy. Pulling too early, while the candy is still too hot, can burn the hands and cause the candy to lose its shape.
“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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