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
Combine molasses, white sugar, vinegar, and butter in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture hardens in water.
Pour onto a greased surface and let cool before breaking into pieces.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Vinegar + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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Molasses + vinegartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked 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 dark colour, deep flavour, and chewy body of the candy.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and, once cooked, sets into a brittle, crisp texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds a little acidity that helps prevent the sugar from crystallising too grainy.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother mouthfeel and softer bite.
The step that matters
Cooking until the mixture hardens in water. Sugar syrup sets according to how far its water has evaporated. Cooking too little leaves a sticky candy that won't hold, while cooking too long makes it bitter and brittle. Testing a small drop in cold water shows when it reaches the hard-crack stage.
“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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