Butter vs. Shortening in Baking (2024)

FAQs

Butter vs. Shortening in Baking? ›

Those made with only shortening bake higher and spread less during baking. The butter cookie provides better flavor and a crispier exterior with browning around edges and a chewy interior; the shortening cookie spreads less, holding its shape better while baking.

Baked goods made with shortening are typically softer and more tender than those made with butter. They also tend to be slightly taller, as it has a higher melting point and doesn't spread as much.

In general, you can substitute Crisco shortening for butter or margarine in equal amounts (1 cup Crisco shortening = 1 cup butter or margarine). 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.

You'll notice these differences if baking with butter instead of shortening. Cookies made with butter or margarine may be softer and spread a little more. Cookies made with butter are usually crispier than chewy cookies made with shortening, but the flavor is richer with butter.

Until recently, it was also thought to be healthier because it contains less saturated fat than butter and lard. However, we now know that highly processed shortening offers no health advantages over butter or lard and may in fact be a less nutritious choice ( 5 , 6 ).

Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice. Shortening is ideal for its neutral flavor, many professional bakers use it for icing.

While shortening can be used as a replacement, it lacks the same depth of flavor and deliciousness that butter provides. So if you're looking for a truly flavorful cookie, we recommend sticking with butter. Plus, butter is also much easier to work with than shortening!

Butter is a natural substitute for shortening: it provides a a similar texture and even more of a savory flavor. If one is substituting butter in a recipe that calls for shortening, here's the ratio: Ratio- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of butter for 1 cup shortening.

The Food Marketing Institute's FoodKeeper recommends storing unopened solid shortening, such as Crisco shortening, at room temperature for 8 months. After opening, store at room temperature for 3 months for best quality.

Crisco shortening is a type of vegetable shortening that is used in baking. It typically comes in stick form, and while it can be stored at room temperature, it will last longer if frozen. If you have new Crisco sticks and don't want to waste them, you can freeze them for later use.

Does butter or shortening make a crispier cookie? ›

Cookies. If you've ever had a tray of cookies morph into one huge mess in the oven, it's time to listen up. Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening.

All things being equal,” she says, “there's more fat per ounce of shortening than butter, and because shortening has a higher melting point than butter, it's more forgiving to work with, so it might give the appearance of more tenderness.” But any pie crust should have enough fat, no matter the source, to produce a ...

Lard, margarine and vegetable shortening such as Crisco are the most well known and most called for in recipes. Because butter is up to 20% water, it isn't the best shortening out there, but in some recipes, it is used as shortening. Shortening's job is to make doughs short.

It used to be commonly made through a process resulting in trans fat, but now that we know how trans fat negatively impacts our health it can now be manufactured in a way that results in saturated fat instead. Basically, it is a cheaper and more shelf stable butter substitution.

Used as a cooking fat for centuries, lard fell out of favor when hydrogenated vegetable shortening was invented in the early 20th century. We now know that hydrogenated fats, also called trans fats, may increase the risk of heart disease.

The major disadvantage of shortening when compared to butter is the lack of flavor, but the benefits are stability, texture, and convenience.

Why shortening instead of butter or oil? Butter can sometimes worsen sticking problems, especially in cakes that are high in sugar. Oil absorbs too much of the flour and can pool in the bottom of the pan.

The job of butter in baking (besides being delicious) is to give richness, tenderness and structure to cookies, cakes, pies and pastries. We alter the way butter works in a recipe by changing its temperature and choosing when to combine it with the other ingredients.

Overall, shortening in baking provides goods with an element of formation and texture that oil can't. The high fat content in shortening contributes to the moistness of goods providing them with a softer, fluffier texture.