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 ↓
Buttered Scotch Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the candy
In a large pot, combine molasses, sugar, and water.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
Once boiling, add the butter and stir until melted.
Continue boiling until the mixture reaches a string stage.
Remove from heat and stir in a pinch of baking soda.
Set
Pour the mixture into molds and let it cool.
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 + 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
- Provides the dark color, deep flavor, and chewy body of the candy.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, with the cooked syrup, helps the candy set firm when cooled.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a softer, smoother bite to the candy.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the hot syrup to add lightness and a more tender texture.
The step that matters
Continue boiling until the mixture reaches a string stage. Cooking to the right syrup stage controls the final firmness. Too little cooking leaves the candy soft and sticky, while too much makes it hard and 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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