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 ↓
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the dough
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, mix the shortening, molasses, and sugar until well combined.
Dissolve the baking soda in a small amount of sour milk and add it to the mixture.
Stir in the ground ginger.
Gradually add flour until the dough is manageable.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Shortening
- Provides fat that keeps the cookies tender and helps them spread slightly while baking.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, deep sweetness, and a dark color that contributes to browning.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dough and helps create a crisp edge and browning during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk and molasses to produce gas that helps the cookies rise and spread.
- Ground ginger
- Supplies the warm, spicy aroma that defines the cookie's flavor.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the dough, setting the shape as the cookies bake.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda in sour milk. Baking soda must be fully dissolved and evenly distributed so it reacts with the acids in the sour milk and molasses; uneven pockets can cause bitter spots or uneven rising.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, milk, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, milk, flour. 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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