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 ↓
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the dough
In a bowl, mix molasses, shortening, vinegar, sugar, and water.
Add baking soda, ginger, and salt, and stir until combined.
Roll the dough thin on a floured surface.
Shape and bake
Cut into desired shapes and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) until lightly browned.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 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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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Vinegar + gingertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,126 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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
- Molasses
- Adds deep sweetness, moisture and a dark color to the dough.
- Shortening
- Provides fat that tenderizes the cookies and gives a soft texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dough and helps the cookies brown during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses and vinegar to lift and lighten the cookies.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that activates the baking soda for rising.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda. Baking soda needs an acid, such as the molasses and vinegar, to release gas and lift the dough. Stirring it in evenly keeps the rise consistent across the cookies.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, vinegar, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
- Clovefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, vinegar, sugar. 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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