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 ↓
Butterscotch
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine molasses, sugar, butter, and water.
Cook briskly for 20 minutes.
Test a small amount in cold water; it should become crisp.
Add baking soda to the boiling mixture and stir.
Pour into buttered tins and cut into squares once cool enough.
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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Sugar + buttertop 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
- Provides the dark color, deep flavor, and moisture that give butterscotch its character.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and dissolves into the syrup, helping it harden as it cools.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the candy a smoother texture and flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the hot syrup to lighten its texture and soften the set candy.
The step that matters
Testing in cold water. Cooking brisk enough to reach the hard-crack stage matters because the candy only sets crisp when the sugar concentration is high enough. Checking a small drop in cold water shows whether it has cooked long enough before adding the baking soda.
“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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