Why it works: Almond and walnut match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 993 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Fruit Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the coconut syrup
Grate the coconut very fine.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar and milk from the coconut, then heat slowly.
Once heated, boil rapidly for 5 minutes.
Add the grated coconut and boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
To test, drop a little on a cold plate; if it forms a firm paste when cool, remove from heat.
Layer and set
Pour part of the mixture onto a large tin lined with greased paper.
To the remaining mixture, add the raisins, blanched almonds, pecans, and chopped walnuts.
Pour this mixture over the first layer and let it cool.
Once cool, cut into bars and squares.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Almond + walnuttop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together993 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Coconut + almondtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,093 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Pecans + walnuttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together634 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Coconut + walnuttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Granulated sugar
- Dissolves into the milk and sets into a firm, sweet candy base when cooled.
- Coconut
- Adds body and texture to the candy, thickening the mixture as it cooks.
- Blanched almonds
- Add crunch and texture to the second layer of the candy.
- Pecans
- Add crunch and a toasty, nutty flavour to the second layer.
- Raisins
- Add chewy sweetness and moisture to the second layer.
The step that matters
Testing the cooked mixture on a cold plate. Sugar syrup keeps thickening as it cools, so removing it too early leaves a soft candy that will not set firmly, while overcooking makes it hard and brittle.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coconut, sugar, milk, almond, pecans, walnut):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Cherryfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against coconut, sugar, milk, almond, pecans, walnut. 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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