Why it works: Cinnamon and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Flemish Waffles
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 3 to 4 minutes after each addition.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture along with the vanilla, cinnamon, and thin cream.
Mix until you have a batter similar to pancake batter.
Cook and serve
Preheat and grease the waffle iron.
Pour enough batter into the iron to fill it two-thirds full.
Close the iron and turn it over immediately.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, being careful not to overheat the iron.
Once done, sift sugar over the waffles and serve immediately on a napkin.
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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Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the waffle together once baked.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help the batter set as it cooks.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during cooking, helping the waffles rise and turn light.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavour, and helps browning in the iron.
- Thin cream
- Adds moisture and richness, giving the batter a smooth, tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps the waffles brown at the surface.
The step that matters
Avoid overheating the iron. Too much heat sets and darkens the outside before the inside cooks through, causing scorching and a dry, uneven texture. Cook for the stated time at a steady heat.
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, egg, cream, vanilla):
- Cinnamonthe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Capersfits less well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, egg, cream, vanilla. 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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