Just realized the right fat makes or breaks shortbread cookies

I made two batches of shortbread last weekend for a bake sale here in Austin. One used butter and the other used shortening because I was out of butter for the second batch. The butter batch came out golden and flaky with that rich taste everyone loves. The shortening one was pale and crumbly but held its shape perfectly for stamped designs. Now I'm wondering if I should blend them half and half for Christmas cookies this year. Has anyone else tried mixing fats like that for holiday baking?

4 comments

4 Comments

green.noah4d ago

Have you ever had cookies that looked perfect but just tasted like cardboard? My friend Sarah tried mixing butter and shortening for her holiday shortbread last year, and the texture was weirdly greasy even though they looked amazing with all her stamped snowflakes. She ended up tossing the whole batch and sticking with straight butter for her church's cookie exchange.

cole_murphy4d ago

One time I made cookies so tough my husband tried to use one as a hockey puck.

olivia_white933d ago

Oh man, have you tried adding just a tablespoon of cornstarch to your dry ingredients? That made a huge difference for me when my cookies kept turning into hockey pucks. I also started pulling them out of the oven when they still look slightly underdone in the middle, because they keep baking on the hot sheet. Letting them cool on the pan for a full 5 minutes before moving them helps too. It's wild how one little change can save a whole batch from being a weapon haha.

violag804d ago

Butter and shortening mixed half and half is the way to go for Christmas cookies - keeps the buttery taste while holding those stamped designs sharp. My sister does that for her holiday baking and they come out perfect every time, never greasy like your friend's batch.