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, brown sugar, and butter in a six-quart kettle.
Boil over a low fire, stirring often to prevent burning, until thick.
Test by dropping a few drops into cold water; it should harden quickly.
Add baking soda and stir well.
Pour into well-buttered flat tins.
Pull and shape
When partly cooled, butter your hands.
Pull and double the candy, mixing while pulling, until it turns a whitish yellow.
Cut into strips and roll or twist as desired.
If using flavoring, add it on top as it cools.
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 + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Molasses + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,123 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 main body, dark color, and deep, slightly bitter sweetness of the candy.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the candy set firm as the mixture thickens.
- Butter
- Adds fat that softens the texture and keeps the pulled candy from sticking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses acid to release gas, lightening the color and texture.
The step that matters
Testing the cold-water drop. Sugar candy sets according to how far its water has evaporated. Undercooked candy stays sticky and soft, while overcooked candy turns brittle and hard to pull.
“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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