Why it works: Pumpkin and apple work together. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 280 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, which smells clove, smoky. The science ↓
The recipe
2 dozenIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins.
In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups raw sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in the canned pumpkin and vegetable oil until smooth.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the chopped apples without overmixing.
To make the topping, combine 1/2 cup raw sugar, 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, the ground cinnamon and the softened butter with your fingers until crumbly.
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full, then sprinkle the topping over each muffin.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly.
Cool the muffins in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Pumpkin + appletop 8% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together280 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
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Apple + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,586 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Pumpkin + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together1,744 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Wheat + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together537 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together30,777 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon share little aroma chemistry, yet 30,777 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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