Why it works: Chocolate and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,020 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Smith College Fudge
Ingredients
Directions
Make the fudge
In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, white sugar, butter, cream, molasses, and chocolate.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Set
Pour the fudge into buttered pans and let it cool.
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.
-
Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- White sugar
- Provides sweetness and, with the brown sugar, helps set the fudge's texture as it cooks.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and its molasses notes deepen the flavour.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smooth, rich texture in the finished fudge.
- Chocolate
- Provides the main chocolate flavour and firmness as the fudge cools.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, helping create a smooth, creamy texture.
The step that matters
Cook while stirring constantly. Stirring keeps sugar from scorching on the bottom of the pan and helps the mixture cook evenly. Heat that is too high or uneven can burn the sugars, while stirring ensures the mixture thickens smoothly before it is removed from the heat.
“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.
More fudge recipes
You might also like
Chocolate Cream171 recipes
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.