Why it works: Nutmeg and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Fruit Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the sour milk and dissolved baking soda.
Add the raisins, nutmeg, and cloves.
Gradually mix in enough flour to form a dough that can be rolled out.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes.
Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden.
Let cool before serving.
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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Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar to give the cookies richness and a tender texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add moisture and structure as they are mixed in.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour milk to produce gas that lifts and lightens the cookies.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and adds moisture to the dough.
- Sugar
- Creams with the butter and adds sweetness and gentle browning.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the cookies.
The step that matters
Gradually mix in enough flour to form a dough that can be rolled out. Adding too much flour at once or overmixing can make the dough stiff and tough, while too little leaves it sticky and hard to shape. Mixing in flour gradually lets you judge the right consistency.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, butter, raisin, milk, nutmeg, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, butter, raisin, milk, nutmeg, flour. 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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