Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Soft 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.
Make the dough
In a mixing bowl, combine ginger and baking soda.
Heat molasses and pour it into the bowl.
Scald buttermilk and add it to the molasses.
Stir in enough sifted flour to form a soft dough.
Add softened butter and mix well.
Chill the dough thoroughly.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough and cut into cookie shapes.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until done.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + buttermilktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ginger + molassestop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter 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
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk and molasses to release gas, helping the cookies rise and turn soft.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, sweetness and deep flavor, and helps keep the cookies soft.
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and tenderizes the dough.
- Flour
- Provides structure so the dough can be rolled and cut into shapes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
The step that matters
Chill the dough thoroughly. Cold dough is firmer and easier to roll and cut without sticking. Chilling also lets the flour fully hydrate and firms the butter, so the cookies hold their shape instead of spreading in the oven.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, buttermilk, flour, butter):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, buttermilk, flour, butter. 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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