Why it works: Sugar and peppermint are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,082 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Peppermint Drops
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 330°F (165°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the syrup
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat when the syrup reaches 330°F (165°C).
Flavour and shape
Stir continuously and add peppermint essence.
Drop the candy onto an oiled surface.
Pour from the spout of the pan to prevent graining.
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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Sugar + pepperminttop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,082 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Forms the hard, glassy candy structure as the cooked syrup cools and sets.
- Peppermint essence
- Supplies the minty aroma and flavour that defines the candy.
The step that matters
Pour from the spout to prevent graining. Sugar crystals form when cooking syrup is disturbed or touched by stray crystals. Pouring carefully from the spout keeps the syrup smooth, so the candy sets clear and glassy instead of grainy.
“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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