Name: Walnut Molasses
Ingredients: 1 lb brown sugar; 2 oz chopped walnuts; ½ pint water; 1 oz fresh butter; a pinch of cream of tartar; a pinch of tartaric acid

Why it works: Butter and cream 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 ↓

Walnut Molasses

Ingredients

Directions

Make the syrup

Melt the brown sugar, water, and cream of tartar slowly over low heat.
Skim off any foam when it boils, then cover and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and boil rapidly until it reaches 280°F (138°C).
Add the butter and re-boil to 280°F (138°C).

Shape and finish

Pour onto a greased marble slab, sprinkle a little tartaric acid and the chopped walnuts in the center.
Quickly fold the mixture over the nuts, forming it into a roll.
Cut into pieces with scissors when cool and wrap in waxed paper.

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.

Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Walnut + buttertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,832 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Walnut + creamtop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,982 recipes

Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).

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

What each ingredient does

Brown sugar: Provides the bulk of the sweetness and the molasses-like flavor and color of the candy.
Fresh butter: Adds fat for a softer, richer bite and a smoother texture in the finished candy.
Cream of tartar: Acid that helps prevent sugar crystals from forming, keeping the candy smooth.
Chopped walnuts: Add crunch and a nutty flavor that contrasts with the chewy sugar.

The step that matters

Re-boil to 280°F (138°C) after adding the butter. Sugar syrup sets according to its final temperature, since boiling drives off water and concentrates the sugar. Stopping below 280°F leaves the candy too soft, while going much higher makes it hard and brittle.