Name: Maple Fudge
Ingredients: 2 cups thick maple syrup; ½ cup cream; 2 tablespoons butter; ¼ teaspoon salt

Why it works: Cream and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Maple Fudge

Ingredients

2 cups thick maple syrup
½ cup cream
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 235°F in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

In a saucepan, combine the maple syrup and cream.
Add the butter and salt, then cook over medium heat.
Stir continuously until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (around 235°F or 113°C).
Remove from heat and let cool slightly before beating until it thickens.
Pour into a greased pan and let set before cutting 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.

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.

Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Maple syrup + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,084 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Maple syrup + creamtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together607 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Maple syrup: Provides the main sweetness and flavour, and its sugars set into the fudge's texture as it cooks.
Cream: Adds fat and moisture, making the fudge smoother and creamier than syrup alone.
Butter: Adds fat that softens the texture and gives a rich, smooth mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Stirring until the soft ball stage. Sugar concentration determines the final texture. Cooking to the soft ball stage (around 235°F or 113°C) sets the fudge firm but tender; undercooking yields a soft, runny result, while overcooking makes it hard and grainy. Stirring keeps the mixture from scorching on the bottom of the pan.

“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.