Why it works: Ginger and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Ginger 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, molasses, and butter until well combined.
Add the hot water, baking soda, eggs, ginger, and cloves. Mix until smooth.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are firm.
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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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,483 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cookies brown.
- Molasses
- Adds deep flavor, moisture, and a chewy texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses acidity to lighten the dough and help it rise.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure as the cookies set.
- Ground ginger
- Provides the warm, spicy aroma that defines the cookie.
The step that matters
Bake until the edges are firm. Baking soda and heat cause the cookies to spread and rise, so pulling them when the edges set keeps the centers soft. Overbaking dries them out and makes them hard once cooled.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, molasses, butter, egg, ginger):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Allspicefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, molasses, butter, egg, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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