Why it works: Butter and oats are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,939 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Oatmeal Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot 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).
Grease your baking pan well.
Make and bake the macaroons
In a bowl, mix the sugar, butter, and eggs until combined.
Stir in the rolled oats, salt, and baking powder.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the pan, leaving space for spreading.
Bake for 15 minutes.
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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Butter + oatstop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,939 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + oatstop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and help hold the macaroons together as they set.
- Rolled oats
- Provide the bulk and chewy texture of the macaroons.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cookies brown as they bake.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender bite.
- Magic baking powder
- Lifts the dough so the macaroons rise and stay light.
The step that matters
Leaving space between spoonfuls of dough. The dough spreads as it bakes, so spoonfuls placed too close will merge into one mass and bake unevenly. Space them so each macaroon keeps its shape and bakes through.
“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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