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 ↓
Jam Jams
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 the dough
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, cream together the butter, egg, brown sugar, and black molasses.
Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water and add to the mixture.
Gradually add flour until a soft dough forms.
Roll the dough thin and cut with a cookie cutter.
Bake and assemble
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until lightly golden.
While hot, spread jelly on one cookie and sandwich with another.
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.
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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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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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
- Adds fat for tenderness and rich flavor in the dough.
- Black molasses
- Adds moisture, deep flavor, and color to the cookies.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses to lift the dough and aid browning.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cookies brown.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds structure and richness.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together.
The step that matters
Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water. Baking soda must be fully dissolved before mixing so it spreads evenly; unevenly distributed soda leaves pockets of bitter taste and uneven rising and color.
“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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