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
Make the candy
Combine molasses, butter, sugar, baking soda, and vinegar in a saucepan.
Boil the mixture until it reaches the hard ball stage (around 248°F or 120°C).
Pour and pull
Pour the candy onto a buttered plate.
Pull the candy just before it hardens, buttering your hands well to handle it.
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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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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Molasses + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,253 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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, rich flavor, and chewy body of the candy.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the mixture set firm as it cooks to the hard ball stage.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a softer texture and helps keep the candy from sticking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the vinegar to lighten the candy's texture as it cooks.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that helps prevent sugar crystallization, keeping the candy smooth.
The step that matters
Pull the candy just before it hardens. Once the candy cools too far it becomes brittle and hard to shape. Pulling while it is still warm and pliable incorporates air and gives the candy its light, glossy texture.
“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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