Why it works: Raisin and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Raisin Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the filling
In a bowl, combine the chopped raisins, molasses, sugar, vinegar, water, crushed crackers, butter, and cinnamon. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a pie crust and bake for 30‑40 minutes or until set.
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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Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,928 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Raisins
- Provide the main body and sweetness of the filling as they soften during baking.
- Molasses
- Adds dark sweetness, moisture, and a deep caramel-like flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps it thicken and set as it bakes.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness of the molasses and sugar.
- Crackers
- Crushed crackers absorb liquid and give the filling body so it can set.
The step that matters
Bake until set. Underbaking leaves the filling runny because the starches and sugars need heat to thicken and firm up. Check that the centre no longer wobbles before removing the pie.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, vinegar, butter, cinnamon):
- Vanillafits about as well
- Raisinthe original
- Figfits about as well
- Applefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, vinegar, butter, cinnamon. 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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