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 ↓
Butter-scotch
Ingredients
Directions
Combine molasses, butter, and sugar in a saucepan.
Boil the mixture until it snaps when dropped into water.
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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Butter + sugartop 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
- Adds deep flavour and dark colour, and contributes to the chewy, brittle texture.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the candy a smoother, more tender bite.
- Sugar
- Provides sweetness and, once boiled, sets into a hard, brittle structure.
The step that matters
Boiling to the snap stage. Sugar syrup hardens as its water boils off and its temperature rises. Stopping too early leaves a sticky candy, while boiling too long can make it bitter or burnt. Testing by dropping a little into water shows when it has reached the right concentration.
“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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