Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Barley Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Mix the corn syrup, shortening, and salt in a bowl.
Dissolve the baking soda in cold water and add it to the mixture along with the well-beaten eggs.
Stir in the raisins and enough barley flour to form a drop cookie dough.
Bake
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking pan.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in a moderately hot oven at 350°F (175°C).
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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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Corn + barleytop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together128 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Raisin + barleytop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together57 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Barley + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together582 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Corn + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,165 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
- Corn syrup
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure as the cookies set in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the mixture to help the cookies rise and spread slightly.
- Barley flour
- Provides the main structure of the dough, setting the cookie as it bakes.
- Shortening
- Adds fat for tenderness and a soft crumb.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and natural sweetness throughout the cookies.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda in cold water. Baking soda needs to be fully dissolved so it reacts evenly through the dough; clumps can leave bitter spots and uneven rising.
“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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