How much salt to add to unsalted butter?

17 years ago

I'm making a cookie recipe that calls for a 3/4 stick of butter. It is an old recipe (before unsalted butter was readily available). I'd like to save a trip to the store and use what I have on hand, if possible.

Does anyone know how much salt I should add to make up for using unsalted butter?

Thanks,

-Babka

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Comments (5)

Terri_PacNW
17 years ago
what other ingredients are in it..
If it's chocolate, I'd go with atleast 1/2 t even 3/4 t..I standardly add 1 t to 1 c butter..even if it's salted in recipes using chocolate in any form.
Babka NorCal 9b
Original Author
17 years ago
Terry-

Thanks for the quick response. The recipe is for Pecan Crescents. 50 years ago it was on the Argo cornstarch box. So you think 3/4 tsp. salt will do the trick?

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 stick butter
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Sift, blend (knead with hands), chill and shape into little crescents. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Dust with powdered sugar when cool.

-Babka
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Terri_PacNW
17 years ago
yeah...start with that then taste...you don't want it to taste salty..but you want the flavors to pop..I find salt helps that out immensely..
I use sea salt, and find that it's got a bit more power than iodine(table salt)..

hmmm I don't want to steer you wrong..but I always add the salt called for in cookie recipes, even though I use salted butter.
~I just found something online that said if you use salted butter in a recipe that calls for unsalted and has salt that you should reduce the salt addition by 1/4 t ea 1/2 c of butter. So maybe you should go with 1/2 t salt??
Personally I'd go with 3/4 t but I don't know your salty taste tolerance..probably best to err on the side of "little less"..
Good luck!!! sorry to confuse you more probably..LOL
readinglady
17 years ago
The average for a cube of butter is 1/4 tsp. per 1/4 pound, though some brands are much saltier than that (as high as 3/4 tsp., which I find mind-boggling).

As Terri said, go by taste, though my inclination, especially for a delicate cooke, is to be conservative. You want the butter, sugar and pecan to predominate.

Carol
Fori
17 years ago
Good thing it's egg free--I'd taste it! That looks kinda good.

(OK, I'd taste it even with raw eggs...)

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How much salt to add to unsalted butter?

Comments (5)

Terri_PacNW

Babka NorCal 9b
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How much salt to add to unsalted butter?

Comments (5)

Terri_PacNW

Babka NorCal 9bOriginal Author

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Babka NorCal 9b
Original Author