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Chocolate Caramels, No. 2

Chocolate caramels made by boiling chocolate, sugar, molasses, milk, and butter until set.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Chocolate Caramels, No. 2

Ingredients

Directions

Make the caramel

  1. In a large saucepan, combine grated chocolate, sugar, molasses, milk, and butter.

  2. Boil the mixture over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

  3. To test if it's done, drop a small amount into cold water; if it hardens, it's ready.

Set and cut

  1. Pour the mixture into buttered pans and let it cool slightly.

  2. When nearly cold, cut into squares.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,842 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Molasses + syruptop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together272 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 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

Granulated sugar
Provides sweetness and, as it cooks, the firm chewy body of the caramel.
Molasses
Adds deep flavor and moisture, and helps the caramel stay soft and chewy.
Milk
Adds dairy richness and moisture, and helps the sugar mixture form a smooth caramel.
Grated chocolate
Adds chocolate flavor and fat, giving the caramel its color and richness.
Butter
Adds fat for a smooth, tender texture and rich flavor.

The step that matters

Boiling for 20 minutes while stirring constantly. Sugar and milk can scorch or stick to the bottom of the pan if not stirred. Cooking the mixture to the right point sets the final chewiness, so the water-test check matters.

“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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