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Dessert

Chocolate Caramels

Chocolate caramels are a sweet treat made from brown sugar, butter, chocolate, molasses, milk or cream, and vanilla.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Chocolate Caramels

Ingredients

Directions

Make the caramel

  1. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan.

  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches the firm ball stage when tested in cold water.

Set and cut

  1. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and pour into a shallow, well-buttered pan.

  2. Mark into squares before the mixture hardens.

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. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  4. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

  5. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Brown sugar
Provides the bulk of the sweetness and the caramel base that sets firm as it cooks.
Butter
Adds fat for a smooth, tender texture and rich flavour.
Chocolate
Adds cocoa flavour and richness to the caramel.
Molasses
Adds depth, colour and a deeper caramel flavour.
Milk or cream
Adds moisture and dairy richness so the candy is creamy rather than brittle.

The step that matters

Cooking to the firm ball stage. Sugar syrup sets according to its final temperature, which rises as water boils off. Stopping too early leaves the caramel soft and sticky; cooking too long makes it hard and brittle. Stirring constantly prevents scorching on the bottom of the pan.

“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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