Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Maple Fudge
Ingredients
Directions
Make the fudge
In a saucepan, combine the maple syrup, butter, cream, and salt.
If the syrup is not very thick, cook it down before adding the other ingredients.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches the desired fudge consistency.
Set and cut
Pour into a greased pan and let it cool before cutting into squares.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Maple syrup + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,084 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Maple syrup + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together607 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Maple syrup
- Provides the main sweetness and flavour, and its sugars set into the fudge's firm texture as it cooks.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother, richer mouthfeel and helps keep the fudge tender.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and fat, helping create a creamy, soft texture in the finished fudge.
The step that matters
Cooking to the desired consistency. Sugar concentration determines the final texture. Cooking too little leaves the fudge soft and runny, while cooking too long makes it hard and grainy. Stirring keeps sugar crystals small and even.
“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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