Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Log Cabin Fudge
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the fudge
Combine sugar, maple syrup, milk, and butter in an enameled saucepan over medium heat.
Stir constantly until the mixture reaches a soft ball stage in cold water, about 5 minutes after boiling.
Remove from heat and beat until it begins to granulate.
Set and cut
Pour into a buttered pan and cut into squares when partially 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.
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.
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + maple syruptop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,252 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Maple syrup + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,084 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Maple syrup + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together798 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Granulated sugar
- Forms the bulk of the fudge and, as it crystallizes, gives it a firm, sweet body.
- Maple syrup
- Adds sweetness and maple flavor, and its sugars also help control crystal formation.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, softening the texture of the finished fudge.
- Butter
- Adds fat, which makes the fudge smoother and more tender.
The step that matters
Beating after removing from heat. Beating while the mixture cools controls sugar crystal formation. Beat too little and the fudge stays soft and runny; beat too long and it sets hard before it can be poured.
“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.
You might also like
Maple Fudge35 recipes
Maple Cream34 recipes
Maple Syrup Filling12 recipes
Maple Cream Candy11 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.