Butter or Margarine or Crisco?

13 years ago

I've looked and looked and cannot find any recent posts about this.

I went thru 5 boxes of butter yesterday, and I need at least 5 more to finish the baking. Paying more than $3 per box, I wondered if those fat shortening sticks could be used in place of butter? They were one quarter of the cost of real butter. What about margarine sticks? Maybe some sort of combination of these?

Is there more to it than the cost? Does the taste suffer when you choose a more cost effective option?

I am specifically making shortbread and spritz cookies. Will the butter or margarine or crisco have an effect on these? I will wait to go to the store to learn more about this.

Thanks!

Comments (14)

lorijean44
13 years ago
I wouldn't substitute anything for the butter when it is the main ingredient, such as in shortbread or spritz cookies. I always use butter when baking - I think the flavor is far superior to substitute products.

Lori
lindac
13 years ago
Depends on the cookie...
A spice cookie will hide the taste of good butter, as will a chocolate cookie. I also have a recipe or 2 that calls for crisco....and doesn't taste the same made with butter...
So the answer to your question is "yes and no"...LOL!
Linda C
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sissyz
Original Author
13 years ago
so it's the taste? I was wondering if it was the spread of the cookie, or the height. The aesthetics are a consideration, of course, but not as much as the taste, of course! I guess I'll just go get butter and not try to be so cheap!
sushipup1
13 years ago
Shop around. Butter varies a lot in price if it's on sale. I got a 4# package at Costco yesterday for about $7.50.
sissyz
Original Author
13 years ago
I'd luv to. Nearest Cosco is an hour away. The county I live doesn't even host a Super Wally. I have an Albertson and am at the mercy of him. I do travel when I do the big shop, but I just did that yesterday and to pick up some butter/margarine/crisco, I'm not going all that way!!
Terri_PacNW
13 years ago
Sissy, Albertsons, has a current flyer out that has a coupon on the front for $1.99 their brand butter. Came in my mail box on Tuesday. It's just a little one page both sided one. If you didn't get it, inquire at Customer Service or look online.

I too buy butter at Costco (35 mile drive)..and 2 months ago it was $10 for that 4 lbs..I "made do" with out it..I'm glad the prices have been going back down!

I think that recipe created to use shortening/Crisco..have the other ingredients sorted to work for a great cookie.(although shortening doesn't make for a "butter crisp" cookie) Criso Butter Sticks..if you want to pick some of those up..I have a few "holiday" cookie recipes that are pretty good.
ann_t
13 years ago
There is no sub for butter, especially in a shortbread cookie.
Actually I would never bake with shortening or margarine.

It is all about flavour as well as texture and when you sub margarine or shortening for butter you really sacrifice both.

Ann
nancyofnc
13 years ago
I agree that butter is better. I haven't used margarine in 10 years, but, I do use Crisco butter-flavored shortening for one recipe that I sell a lot of - Sugar Cookies (made with sour cream). Making them with butter as an experiment resulted in them being totally flat and they ran into each other on the sheet pan. The taste was flat too. Go figure.

I search for sales on butter all the time since I bake for the farmers market. When I find it I buy lots and lots and stick them in the freezer. They keep ever so long there. A plus is that when I make scones or pie crust in the FP, they come out flakier and more tender when using the butter right out of the freezer.

Nancy
grainlady_ks
13 years ago
It's been over 2 decades since shortening or margarine was in the house... I'm a butter and coconut oil fan now.

FYI moment:

-BUTTER - spreads more during baking (chill the dough, use cold pans, and line them with parchment paper), cookies are more crisp, and have that buttery flavor and mouth-feel only butter can provide. Not to mention the satiety factor provided by real butter.

-BUTTER/MARGARINE Blends - similar results to using butter, with less butter flavor than all-butter cookies.

-VEGETABLE SHORTENING - has no buttery flavor unless the (doesn't taste at all like butter - are your taste buds DEAD?) butter-flavored variety is used. Spreads less or not at all. Cookies are cake-like and softer. Cookies tend to crumble and are more dry.

-REDUCED-CALORIE OR LOW-FAT BUTTER OR MARGARINE - Softer dough, spread much less or not at all, and brown less. Cookies are cake-like, rather than crisp. Tend to result in tougher, rather than tender cookies. Sticks to the cookie sheet more easily. Less or no butter flavor than all-butter cookies. Become hard and dry more quickly.

I wonder how many cookies, cakes and general baked goods were made with lard pre-1960's? I see lard in recipes all the time in older cookbooks. My mother used lard until she couldn't get fresh lard anymore (from the meat processing plant) and didn't like the hydrogenated stuff. I remember the first can of SPRY vegetable shortening she brought home. I still have the recipe pamphlet.

-Grainlady
Terri_PacNW
13 years ago
I use butter myself...I do have Organic Palm Shortening though that I use here and there. (and coconut oil too)

I posted the other thread for those that want to use Crisco as an alternative.
noinwi
13 years ago
I don't do tons of baking, but I do use butter mostly. In a pinch, I'll mix butter with some shortening, but I also have a couple of cookie recipes that use vegetable oil(which I add some butter to...helps with guilt)and that helps cut down on the cost. I use coconut oil too, but it's expensive so I only use it for certain things.
sissyz
Original Author
13 years ago

Used strictly butter. The filled Chocolate Spritz came out great! So did the shortbreads, the lemon glazed, the jam filled, the crinkles, the white chocolate covered chocolate wafers, and the russian teacakes.... Drove around in the falling snow, delivering cookie trays and I was so proud! Thank you so much!
WHEW!!!
cynic
13 years ago
Depends on what I'm baking. The only time I'll have margarine anymore is for a soft peanut butter cookie I adapted from the old recipe my mother always used. Otherwise it's butter and shortening and yes, I like the "butter" flavored stuff, especially for cooking potatoes for some reason. I wouldn't bother with shortening sticks. Sales gimmick. Measuring shortening is easy enough and I'll save the money there and splurge elsewhere.

Anyone remember the "rich golden Fluffo"?
annie1992
13 years ago
I agree, it depends on the recipe. My old chewy molasses cookie recipe calls for shortening and I can sub half butter, but the texture is not right if you use all butter. Same for peanut butter cookies, they are crisp and not chewy.

Butter cookies like shortbread and spritz, though, they beg for real butter, and I'd not sub something else for the butter in those.

those cookies look delicious, sissyz.

Grainlady, I also remember "Spry", but I had forgotten about it until now, LOL, Grandma was far too cheap to buy Crisco!

Annie

Butter or Margarine or Crisco?

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