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 ↓
Coffee Caramels
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the caramel
Combine molasses and brown sugar in a granite saucepan.
Stir over moderate heat until sugar dissolves.
Boil slowly to the soft ball stage.
Add butter and coffee infusion.
Continue boiling until the mixture is hard and brittle when tested in ice water.
Finish
Finish as you would chocolate caramels.
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 + coffeetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Molasses + coffeetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together640 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Butter + coffeetop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,442 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds deep flavor, dark color, and moisture to the caramel.
- Brown sugar
- Provides sweetness and caramel flavor while helping set the texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother, richer texture in the finished caramel.
- Coffee infusion
- Contributes coffee aroma and bitter notes that balance the sweetness.
The step that matters
Continue boiling until hard and brittle in ice water. Sugar syrup firms as its water evaporates and its temperature rises. Stopping too early leaves soft caramels, while cooking too long makes them hard and brittle. Testing a small drop in ice water shows when the set is right.
“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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