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 ↓
G Molasses Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the candy
In a saucepan, combine molasses, sugar, vinegar, and butter.
Boil the mixture without stirring until it hardens when dropped in cold water.
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.
Set and shape
Pour the mixture onto buttered tins.
Once cool, pull the candy and cut it into sticks.
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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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds deep sweetness, flavor, and a dark color to the candy.
- Sugar
- Provides sweetness and, when boiled, sets into a firm, brittle structure.
- Vinegar
- Its acidity softens the sugar's texture and helps keep it from crystallizing.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother, less brittle bite and helps prevent sticking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid to release gas, making the candy light and airy.
The step that matters
Boil without stirring until it hardens in cold water. Stirring can trigger sugar crystals that make the candy grainy. Stopping too early leaves it sticky, while overcooking makes it bitter and overly brittle.
“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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