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 Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine the molasses, sugar, butter, and boiling water.
Mix well until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined.
Add the baking soda and stir until fully incorporated.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden.
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.
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Molasses + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,123 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
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a dark, chewy texture, and its acidity reacts with the baking soda.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown at the edges as they bake.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender texture, and melts into the dough as it is mixed.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas, which lightens the cookies and helps them spread and rise.
The step that matters
Stirring in the baking soda until fully incorporated. Baking soda only leavens when it is evenly mixed into the acidic molasses dough. Unmixed clumps can leave bitter, soapy pockets and uneven rising across the cookies.
“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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