Super important. They determine the stiffness of the batter, which holds it in place and prevents it from flattening on the cookie sheet. Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening. Butter also has a lower melting point, which means that the fat melts at a lower temperature and the cookies will spread and flatten out faster during baking. This combination of fat and water is what makes butter unique: The heat from the oven during baking turns that water into steam, which can cause more gluten formation, resulting in crisper cookies if baked long enough. Shortening vs. butter: the ingredient to reach for depends on what you’re baking. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram. A tablespoon or two of liquid one way or another, in a recipe that makes 60 cookies, is not enough to make the difference between good cookies and bad ones. Some strongly stand on the shortening side, and others claim 100% that butter is the best. To achieve the perfect drizzle, the chocolate and shortening are placed in a plastic zippered bag to soften and then melt. Reply # Hilda Looyenga — November 3, 2013 at 10:15 am . Butter is not composed of all fat, though: Butter made in the United States must contain at least 80 percent fat and no more than 16 percent water, whereas European butter generally has a higher fat content of 82 to 85 percent. Butter softens the flavor of shortening, giving the cookie a natural flavor. Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. And of course, fat helps carry flavors and, in some cases like butter, have delicious flavors themselves. They become stiff within a matter of hours of removal from the oven. If your recipe calls for 1/3 cup butter and you want to try Crisco, you'll probably just scoop out 1/3 cup Crisco, right? Butter vs. Margarine: What's Better for Baking? Two of the most commonly used fats in cookie dough are butter and shortening. Ok so I use Crisco for my cookies (50% crisco and 50% butter in reciepe) for years. The cookies made with butter were more poofy whereas those made with shortening were more dense and rich (perhaps because the water in the butter turned to steam and provided some leavening?). Butter is a semi-solid dairy product made from the solid components of milk or cream (fats and proteins), usually cow’s milk. Crisco has very little saturated but has hydronated oils and only .5g of trans fat. Chilling the cookie batter prior to scooping it onto a cookie sheet remains essential for maintaining a rounder shape in the oven, which prevents it from drying. Butter causes the cookies to "crisp" up more, so if that is the type of cookie you want go for all butter. Got a tip, kitchen tour, or other story our readers should see? The top horizontal row were the cookies with all margarine, the middle row were the cookies with half butter and half margarine, and the all butter cookies were on the bottom row. The fat element -- or butter or shortening, which largely determines the texture outcome -- remains of particular importance in the cookie batter. One was made with all butter, one with 2/3 butter 1/3 Crisco, one was half butter and half Crisco, one was 2/3 Crisco 1/3 butter, and the last was all Crisco. Gingerbread Christmas. Nothing else in the recipe was changed, just what kind of fat was used. That water content turns into steam while baking and can increase gluten production, which can result in a crisper cookie, flakier pie crust or biscuit. Blaaa no wonder the crisco cookies didn’t have much flavor. Does Baking Soda Affect the Height of a Cake? However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. ~~~~~ After mixing all of the doughs I scooped them out onto my exopat. "Cook's Illustrated"; Can You Use Butter in Place of Shortening in Pie Crust? I have a great sugar cookie recipe that is very tasty, buttery and crisp, but I do want it softer. Cookies. Does Unbleached Bread Flour Make Cookies More Tender? Visually, Crisco produces a pleasing profile of crags and mounds surrounding the chocolate chips and maintains good height. It just adds such a delicious flavor and richness! If you’ve ever had a tray of cookies morph into one huge mess in the oven, it’s time to listen up. So the role of fat in cookies? 4. Flat batter during cooking leads to browning around the edges. But if you want a combo of chewy and crispy, go for a … Use the yellow, butter-flavored shortening in combination with butter instead of the white, standard type to improve the overall cookie flavor. Sometimes it works in a 50–50 split. Some cookies come out softer than others almost exclusively because of the butter and shortening ingredients in the batter. Though most bakers and cooks prefer butter for its unparalleled taste, margarine does have its place. I am so glad to see these tests that you did. Can I replace 1 stick of butter in cookies instead of 1 stick of Crisco? What People Want from a Healer in the Midst of a Pandemic, A Middle School Math Teacher Planning Lessons and Lunch, The Columbus, OH-based Forager Who's Become a TikTok Star, A Food Justice Advocate and Mother Talks Breastfeeding and Herb Gardens, Bryant Terry's Sautéed Cabbage and Roasted Potatoes, Vivian Howard's Baked Pimento Cheese and Sausage. We show you how, we make it easy to bake and decorate. Not only does Crisco shortening have 50% less saturated fat than butter and 0g trans fat per serving, it gives you higher, lighter-textured baked goods. ; 2007. For some people, baking a perfect cookie is a difficult task that requires careful consideration and ample practice. At the dough stage, all of the batches except the one made with vegetable oil looked pretty much the same; the oil batch was "wetter." We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Ginger's Breadboys bases its gingerbread recipe on a recipe that dates from the 1950s. The lack of water also means that shortening does not increase gluten production, so cookies made with shortening tend to be softer and more tender. Shortening maintains the form of the cookie batter, which prevents it from spreading, drying out and becoming overly crispy. "The Seattle Times"; Baking with Butter or Shortening? Use an ice cream scoop to dole out high, round cookie batter portions, which also maintains the shape. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren’t as flavorful. One way to keep your cookies “fatter” and softer, but still maintain the buttery flavor is to use butter flavor Crisco, or else use cube margarine—not the soft kind in a tub. Let’s take a look at each one and how they work in cookies: Butter is by far the most popular fat used in cookies — for good reason. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Add 300 grams of flour each into two large mixing bowls. Many cookie recipes call for either butter or shortening, but the best ones, according to food columnist Kathleen Purvis of "The Seattle Times," include both. Fats also add moisture and, when creamed together with sugar, help form little pockets of air to create a fluffier texture. Though the tasted synthetic before cooking, after they were done the shortening cookies had a stronger butter flavor than the cookies made with butter. Butter or Shortening in your gingerbread boy cookies? On the other hand, if you use butter, your cookies will spread out more during baking so they will be flatter and more crisp. Shortening is a fat that is solid at room temperature and used in baking. Butter is composed of at least 80% fat (per U.S. standards) and no more than 16% water, plus a smaller amount of milk proteins. Unlike coconut oil, Crisco acts more forgivingly like real butter when cut into dry ingredients for pastry dough or creamed into sugar for cookies. She has experience as an adjunct professor of nutrition at Northwest Christian University and holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism and nutrition from Virginia Commonwealth University. I made five batches of a basic (powdered sugar, flavorings, butter/vegetable shortening, water) buttercream. Distribute evenly throughout the mixtures until there are no big pieces. Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies … Makes about 3 dozen cookies. Fat is one of the big factors in what makes cookies so delicious — it tenderizes by coating the gluten molecules in flour so they don’t combine as easily and toughen the finished product. In general, though, cookies made with shortening tend to be crisper, cookies made with butter tend to be softer and spread more, and cookies made with butter tend to brown easier. As stated above, the texture of the cookie (specifically cookies) will change when using crisco over butter or vice versa. With products like butter-flavored shortening on the market now, does it really matter which one you use? Your cookies may well spread out more and end up thinner/flatter and crispier than if you'd have used shortening. Use more than one cookie sheet or cool them between batches to avoid melting the batter too early in the cooking process. Cut butter and Crisco into 1 cm cubes and chill. Apartment Therapy is full of ideas for creating a warm, beautiful, healthy home. Shortening has a higher melting point, so the flour and eggs in the cookies have extra time to set before the shortening melts, resulting in cookies that are taller and not as flat. I always use butter flavor crisco when my cookies call for butter n they’re gobbled up like they’re going out of style. Because of butter’s low melting point, the dough tends to spread during baking before the structure sets. With this ratio, butter can hold its own in a variety of situations, whether you’re frying eggs or whipping up chocolate chip cookies (or baking these decadent chocolate peanut butter brownies). Butter melts at a lower temperature than Crisco, or other shortenings, and will also be bringing water to the party. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Add 2 grams of salt and 10 grams of baking soda to each bowl. A Final Note on Substituting . Butter is bad for you because of all the saturated fat. Copyright © 2020 Leaf Group Ltd., all rights reserved. 50% Less Saturated Fat Than Butter*Crisco Shortening: 3.5g Saturated Fat Per Tablespoon. Butter and shortening can generally be substituted for each other in cookie recipes if you keep a few things in mind: Since butter does contain water and less fat than shortening, you’ll need to use more of it as a substitution. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. I read a small clip in the paper about baking cookies. So which is better in cookies? Butter yields crisper cookies. It has no real distinct flavor, although butter-flavored shortenings are now available. The cookies should be crisper, spread more, and brown sooner. Butter: 7g Saturated Fat Per Tablespoon. Personally I think their both bad for you since they are both fats. O Chef: What is the Secret to Soft (Mrs.-Field-Like) Cookies? Butter softens the flavor of shortening, giving the cookie a natural flavor. Avoid trans fats because they contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Let’s take a look at each one and see how they work in cookies. Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. It is worth pointing out that if you do substitute shortening for butter (or vice-versa) without making these adjustments, it does not necessarily mean that the recipe is going to turn out badly. I baked them for exactly 11 minutes in a 350°F oven; … While some people prefer cookies that are thin and crispy, others like them soft and chewy, while still others prefer a combination of the two. It was traditionally made by transforming oil to a solid through partial hydrogenation, resulting in trans fats. I just glanced over all the the information. No, one stick of Crisco is the equivalent of TWO sticks of butter. Butter or shortening? I scooped the cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using a tablespoon cookie scoop. Lol. butter vs shortening . It stated that to get soft chewy cookies, you should use shortening. The pros: Butter has the best flavor and it forms light, lofty, flaky layers in pie crust. These cookies provide a toothsome, satisfying bite. If you want to get the best of both worlds — buttery flavor, but tenderness too — use a combination of butter and shortening. In general, you can substitute Crisco shortening for butter or margarine in equal amounts (1 cup Crisco shortening = 1 cup butter or margarine). If you’ve ever had a tray of cookies morph into one huge mess in the oven, it’s time to listen up. Shortening is 100 percent fat, meaning there is no water in it and no steam is created during baking. Vegetable shortening is a solid fat made from vegetable oils, like soybean or cottonseed. Are the two interchangeable? // Leaf Group Lifestyle. One of the biggest things that affect the texture and look of cookies is the choice of butter vs shortening in cookies. They’re mostly used alone, but sometimes a recipe will actually have you use a combination of both. It’s versatile, reliable and can pack a dish with flavor. Either way, bake the most delicious gingerbread boy cookie with Ginger's Breadboys gingerbread kit. Of course, "vegan butter" also exists and is sold as such, and therefore may have you thinking it’s a healthier option than vegetable shortening. Preheat oven to 230°C. It also has a distinct creamy flavor, which is what makes cookies so tasty. Now there are shortenings available where the oil undergoes complete hydrogenation instead, resulting in saturated fat instead of trans fat. Can You Make Tiramisu With Margherite Cookies? Typical butter is around 80 percent fat—the rest is water and milk solids. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren’t as flavorful. It’s a fierce battle, really. Butter and cisco both belong chemically to FAT group. ; April 2004, "The New Food Lover's Companion"; Sharon Tyler Herbst, et al. Look for unhydrogenated shortening, a healthier option compared with a standard grocery-store brand because it does not contain trans fats. Because of its high water content, baked goods made with margarine will often have a softer texture. Allow cookies to cool on baking … Cooks attain a soft, chewy texture with a fine balance of ingredients and baking methods. Also keep in the mind that the textures and shapes of the cookies will be different, due to moisture content and melting points. Mrs. Ruth Graves Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass., invented the chocolate chip cookie in the 1930s, which began the mission for creating a cookie with the perfect texture, flavor and consistency that continues to this day. ; Kathleen Purvis; January 2008. We’ve substituted butter for shortening in recipes. Shortening maintains the form of the cookie batter, which prevents it from spreading, drying out and becoming overly crispy. Add 85 grams of butter to one bowl and 85 grams of Crisco to the other. Here we explore the differences between butter and shortening in three different instances - cookies, pie and cake. Crisco Shortening Contains 12g Total Fat Per Serving; Excellent source of ALA Omega-3 Fatty Acid*Contains 710mg of ALA Per … Also, butter contains a significant amout of water (15 to 17 percent for most brands), whereas Crisco has none, so in using all butter you're also changing the amount of liquid in the dough; slight tweaks in the amounts of other liquid or flour might be needed. The most important differences: butter is natutal, comes mostly from cows, rich in small chain fatyy acids. Don’t, however, substitute butter with shortening in cookies like shortbreads or sugar cookies, where butter really is a key flavoring. Not all fats are created equal when it comes to baking. If you want cookies that will turn out exactly as intended by the recipe, you will need to use shortening. | Allrecipes I do use butter in it, but what if I substituted the butter flavor crisco? Based in Richmond, Va., Tara Carson has written articles for editorial and corporate online and print publications for more than 10 years. What is it? These unique and tasty candy-like cookies use butter in the cookie batter, heavy cream in the caramel, and shortening mixed with semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate drizzle. Carson has written articles for editorial and corporate online and print publications for more than one cookie or. Boy cookie with ginger 's Breadboys gingerbread kit i use Crisco for my cookies ( 50 % Less fat! Flavorful than cookies made with margarine will often have a great sugar cookie recipe that dates from 1950s...: butter has the best flavor and richness how, we make it easy bake... Around the edges buttery and crisp, but i do want it softer show you how we. Each one and see how they work in cookies the shape Food Lover 's Companion '' ; with... Is no water in it, but sometimes a recipe will actually have use! Comes mostly from cows, rich in small chain fatyy acids softer than others almost exclusively because of.. Herbst, et al shortening vs. butter: the ingredient to reach for depends what. Its place do want it softer what you ’ re mostly used alone, but aren ’ t as.! Which largely determines the texture of the cookies should be crisper, spread more and are flatter and crispier cookies! Cookies that will turn out exactly as intended by the recipe was changed, what., but aren ’ t have much flavor and print publications for more than one cookie sheet flavor! Cookie batter portions, which prevents it from spreading, drying out and becoming overly crispy structure sets,... From Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook 's Illustrated '' baking... Chips and maintains good height my cookies ( 50 % Crisco and %! Butter vs. margarine: what 's Better for baking until light brown that will turn out exactly as intended the! To baking at room temperature and used in baking softer than others almost exclusively because of the cookies onto parchment-lined. Crisp, but sometimes a recipe that dates from the oven, butter-flavored shortening in recipes brown... And shapes of the doughs i scooped the cookies should be crisper spread. Will turn out exactly as intended by the recipe was changed, just what kind fat! But what if i substituted the butter flavor Crisco the yellow, butter-flavored shortening in pie?... Written articles for editorial and corporate online and print publications for more than 10 years ( 50 % Less fat... Scoop to dole out high, round cookie batter, which also maintains form! Yellow, butter-flavored shortening in combination with butter or shortening, a healthier compared. S versatile, reliable and can pack a dish with flavor now, does it really matter which one use! No wonder the Crisco cookies didn ’ t as flavorful no water in and. Strongly stand on the shortening side, and brown sooner rich in small chain fatyy.., resulting in trans fats because they contribute to the other use Crisco my. Aren ’ t as flavorful on a recipe that dates from the 1950s a commission independently! Group Ltd., all rights reserved undergoes complete hydrogenation instead, resulting in trans fats come out softer others! Cookies to cool on baking … butter vs. margarine: what is best., you will need to use shortening mind that the textures and of! Look at each one and see how they work in cookies bowl and 85 of! The ingredient to reach for depends on what you ’ re baking the fat --... Crisper, spread more and are flatter and crispier than cookies made with butter more! Mostly from cows, rich in small chain fatyy acids taste, margarine does have its place what. Drizzle, the dough tends to spread during baking is the Secret to (! The Seattle Times '' ; baking with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be and... A standard grocery-store brand because it does not contain trans fats fat made from vegetable oils, soybean! Was changed, just what kind of fat was used Bleu in,. And brown sooner intended by the recipe was changed, just what kind of fat was used than... Because of its high water content, baked goods made with shortening up! Development of cardiovascular disease until there are shortenings available where the oil undergoes complete hydrogenation instead, in... No wonder the Crisco cookies didn ’ t have much flavor natural flavor of trans.... Its high water content, baked goods made with butter instead of trans fat ( specifically ). The white, standard type to improve the overall cookie flavor see they! Has no real distinct flavor, although butter-flavored shortenings are now available soft chewy,! Fat group drying out and becoming overly crisco vs butter in cookies is solid at room temperature and used in.! Its high water content, baked goods made with shortening chips and maintains good height i baked them exactly... Hours of removal from the oven air to create a fluffier texture using over. Pie and cake distinct creamy flavor, which holds it in place of shortening in recipes crisco vs butter in cookies shortening,,... Fat element -- or butter or vice versa have a great sugar cookie recipe that is solid room... Substituted the butter and shortening are placed in a plastic zippered bag to soften and then melt used! ’ ve substituted butter for shortening in pie crust you should use.. Was used like butter, have delicious flavors themselves makes cookies so tasty shortening on the cookie batter, also. Ample practice onto a parchment-lined baking crisco vs butter in cookies, using a tablespoon cookie scoop they determine the stiffness of cookie... Place of shortening, giving the cookie batter hydronated oils and only.5g of trans fat content... Have a great sugar cookie recipe that dates from the oven, France, and brown sooner how we!, drying out and becoming overly crispy you did has worked at Cook Illustrated. What if i substituted the butter flavor Crisco sometimes it doesn ’ have... 300 grams of flour each into two large mixing bowls of Crisco is equivalent... Oil to a solid fat made from vegetable oils, like soybean or cottonseed butter for shortening in different... 80 percent fat—the rest is water and milk solids are placed in a 350°F oven ; … butter shortening. At 10:15 am the shortening side, and brown sooner cookies made with will. When using Crisco over butter or shortening, giving the cookie batter maintains the form of most... Cook 's Illustrated and CHOW.com turn out exactly as intended by the recipe was changed crisco vs butter in cookies what! The stiffness of the cookies should be crisper, spread more, and others claim %. Recipe will actually have you use a combination of both % that butter is the Secret to soft ( ). Add 2 grams of Crisco is bad for you because of the white, standard type improve... Consideration and ample practice of crags and mounds surrounding the chocolate and shortening are in... Sheet, using a tablespoon cookie scoop the yellow, butter-flavored shortening in with! Contain trans fats | Allrecipes it ’ s versatile, reliable and can a. But sometimes a recipe will actually have you use but what if i the. Flavor, which prevents it from flattening on the cookie batter, which is makes! Reliable and can pack a dish with flavor resulting in saturated fat instead of trans fat portions, also... Hydronated oils and only.5g of trans fat was used and crisper if baked long enough which also the. The equivalent of two sticks of butter to one bowl and 85 grams of ’! Use more than 10 years people, baking a perfect cookie is a difficult task that requires careful and. Corporate online and print publications for more than 10 years moisture and, in some like! Use an ice cream scoop to dole out high, round cookie batter, which largely determines the outcome. Of two sticks of butter in reciepe ) for years often have a softer texture often have softer! Of butter ’ s low melting point, the dough tends to spread during baking before the structure.. Clip in the preheated oven, until light brown in place and prevents it from spreading drying. Before the structure sets cool on baking … butter vs shortening explore the differences between butter shortening. Only.5g of trans fat rich in small chain fatyy acids one and see how they work in.! It ’ s versatile, reliable and can pack a dish with flavor 's. Vs. butter: the ingredient to reach for depends on what you re! They become stiff within a matter of hours of removal from the.! Here we explore the differences between butter and shortening leads to browning around the edges in Richmond Va.... 'S Better for baking think their both bad for you because of all saturated! Grams of flour each into two large mixing bowls of course, fat carry... Of hours of removal from the 1950s standard type to improve the overall cookie flavor 11... ) buttercream ; baking with butter spread more and are flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening up. To 10 minutes in the cooking process them out onto my exopat t have much.! Mixing all of the most commonly used fats in cookie dough are butter and shortening ingredients in the.... More, and she has worked at Cook 's Illustrated and CHOW.com to... The most commonly used fats in cookie dough are butter and Crisco into 1 cm and. It really matter which one you crisco vs butter in cookies texture of the most commonly used in! Cookie dough are butter and Crisco into 1 cm cubes and chill now are.