Why it works: Cinnamon and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Molasses Puffs
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
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the egg and molasses, mixing well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the water.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.
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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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,928 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, softening the texture of the puffs.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as the puffs set.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, deep sweetness, and color to the puffs.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps create a tender crumb when creamed with butter.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the puffs together as they bake.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses to produce gas, helping the puffs rise and lighten.
The step that matters
Alternating dry ingredients with water. Adding the dry ingredients gradually and alternating with the water keeps the batter smooth and evenly hydrated. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, which can make the puffs tough.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, egg, molasses, sugar, cinnamon, flour):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Allspicefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, egg, molasses, sugar, cinnamon, 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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