Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Molasses Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the candy
Combine molasses, sugar, vinegar, and butter in a saucepan.
Boil the mixture until it becomes brittle when tested in cold water.
Pour the hot mixture into a buttered tin.
Finish
Once cool, pull the candy until it turns white.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Vinegar + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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Molasses + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,253 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides the main sweetness, dark color, and deep flavor, along with moisture that keeps the candy from being too hard.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, when boiled to a high concentration, sets the candy firm as it cools.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that helps stop the sugar from crystallizing into a grainy texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother, more tender bite and helps keep the candy from sticking to the tin.
The step that matters
Boil until brittle in cold water. The cook must boil the mixture until a drop hardens in cold water. Stopping early leaves the candy sticky and soft, while boiling too long can scorch the molasses and make it bitter. The sugar concentration reached during boiling determines how firm the candy becomes as it cools.
“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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