Why it works: Sugar and molasses 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 says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the dough
In a bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar.
Add the molasses and eggs, mixing well.
Dissolve the baking soda in a little hot water and add it to the mixture.
Mix the ginger with the flour, then gradually add flour to form a soft dough.
Shape and bake
Roll the dough thick, cut into shapes, and place on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven, watching carefully to prevent burning.
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar to add richness and a tender crumb.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cookies brown.
- Molasses
- Adds deep flavour, moisture, and dark colour to the cookies.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure as it sets in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to help the cookies rise and spread.
The step that matters
Bake in the preheated oven, watching carefully to prevent burning.. Molasses and sugars brown quickly at high heat, so cookies can scorch before the centre sets. Checking early keeps them soft and evenly coloured.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, molasses, egg, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, molasses, egg, flour. 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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