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Molasses Candy

Molasses candy is a sweet made from molasses, butter, sugar, and vinegar, cooked until brittle.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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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 Candy

Ingredients

Directions

Make the candy

  1. In a kettle, melt the butter over medium heat.

  2. Add the molasses and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

  3. Boil without stirring until nearly cooked, then stir constantly.

  4. Test by dropping a bit into cold water; it should become brittle.

  5. Add vinegar just before removing from heat.

  6. Pour into a well-buttered pan.

Pull and cut

  1. Once cool enough to handle, pull the candy until light and porous.

  2. Cut into small pieces with large shears or a sharp knife and arrange on slightly buttered plates to cool.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together98,233 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together13,513 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

  5. Molasses + vinegartop 26% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,253 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 main flavor and dark color, and sweetness for the candy.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps the candy set firm when boiled.
Butter
Adds richness and helps keep the candy tender and easy to release from the pan.
Vinegar
Adds a little acidity that helps prevent sugar crystallizing, keeping the candy smooth.

The step that matters

Boil without stirring, then test in cold water. Stirring during the early boil can cause sugar to crystallize, and the candy must reach the brittle stage to set properly. Testing a small drop in cold water shows when it is ready to remove from heat.

“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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