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 ↓
New Orleans Molasses Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the syrup
Combine molasses, sugar, butter, and vinegar in a saucepan.
Boil without stirring until the mixture hardens when dropped into cold water.
Add soda and set
Stir in baking soda and beat well.
Pour into buttered pans and let cool.
Cut and finish
Cut into sticks once cool.
Add flavoring just before pouring if desired.
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.
-
Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides the dark color, rich flavor, and moisture of the candy.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, once boiled, sets the candy firm.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid to release gas, lightening the candy's texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that keeps the sugar from crystallizing and softens the texture.
The step that matters
Boiling without stirring until it hardens in cold water. The final sugar concentration sets the candy's texture. Stopping too early leaves it sticky, while cooking too long makes it brittle or scorched. Stirring can trigger sugar crystals, so it is avoided during the boil.
“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.
More molasses candy recipes
You might also like
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipes
Molasses Sponge Cake9 recipes
White Cake431 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.