Shortening vs. Butter in Cookies: What’s the Difference? (2024)

Christine Gallary

Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large

Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.

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updated May 1, 2019

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Two of the most commonly used fats in cookie dough are butter and shortening. They’re mostly used alone, but sometimes a recipe will actually have you use a combination of both. With products like butter-flavored shortening on the market now, does it really matter which one you use? Are the two interchangeable? Let’s take a look at each one and see how they work in cookies.

What Does Fat Do in 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.

Fats also add moisture and, when creamed together with sugar, help form little pockets of air to create a fluffier texture. And of course, fat helps carry flavors and, in some cases like butter, have delicious flavors themselves. So the role of fat in cookies? Super important.

Let’s take a look at each one and how they work in cookies:

Butter in Cookies

Butter is by far the most popular fat used in cookies — for good reason. It just adds such a delicious flavor and richness! 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.

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.

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. It also has a distinct creamy flavor, which is what makes cookies so tasty.

Shortening in Cookies

Vegetable shortening is a solid fat made from vegetable oils, like soybean or cottonseed. It was traditionally made by transforming oil to a solid through partial hydrogenation, resulting in trans fats. Now there are shortenings available where the oil undergoes complete hydrogenation instead, resulting in saturated fat instead of trans fat.

Shortening is 100 percent fat, meaning there is no water in it and no steam is created during baking. 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 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. It has no real distinct flavor, although butter-flavored shortenings are now available.

Which One Should I Use in Cookies?

Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening.

Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren’t as flavorful.

Can Butter and Shortening Be Used Interchangeably in Cookies?

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. Also keep in the mind that the textures and shapes of the cookies will be different, due to moisture content and melting points.

If you want to get the best of both worlds — buttery flavor, but tenderness too — use a combination of butter and shortening. Don’t, however, substitute butter with shortening in cookies like shortbreads or sugar cookies, where butter really is a key flavoring.

Butter Cookie Recipes

  • Peppermint Cream-Filled Butter Cookies
  • Gingerbread Cookies
  • Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Lemon Lime Curd with Rosemary Sables

Shortening Cookie Recipes

  • Mindy Segal’s Banana Nilla Cookies
  • Gingerbread Cake Cookies
  • Old-Fashioned Recipe: Crinkle Top Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
  • Husband-Winning Peanut Butter Cookies

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Shortening vs. Butter in Cookies: What’s the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Shortening vs. Butter in Cookies: What’s the Difference? ›

Which One Should I Use in Cookies? Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren't as flavorful.

Are cookies better with butter or shortening? ›

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!

What happens when you substitute shortening for butter in cookies? ›

Shortening traps more air bubbles and has a higher melting point than butter, so recipes using shortening tend to produce baked goods with more lift and that hold their shape during baking. Interior texture will also be softer and lighter.

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.

Does Crisco make cookies softer? ›

Crisco® all-vegetable shortening will make your cakes moist, pie crusts flaky, and cookies soft and fluffy, with 0g of trans fat per serving*.

Why is shortening not used in baking anymore? ›

Shortening is a type of fat used in cooking and baking. It's typically made from hydrogenated vegetable oil and has a long history of use in American kitchens that dates back to the early 1900s. However, shortening has fallen out of favor in the past few decades because of its high trans fat content.

Why do people use shortening instead of butter? ›

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.

What is the best fat for cookies? ›

Cookie fat #1: Room temperature butter

The most common fat called for in chocolate chip cookie recipes is room temperature butter, and for a good reason! It yielded the best results in terms of appearance, texture, and flavor.

What is the ratio of butter to shortening in cookies? ›

1:1 Ratio: You can often substitute shortening for butter in a 1:1 ratio, meaning for every cup of butter, use a cup of shortening. Adjust for Flavor: Since shortening is flavorless, this substitution may result in a different flavor profile in your baked goods.

What makes cookies fluffier? ›

Baking soda

When added to dough, baking soda releases a carbon dioxide gas which helps leaven the dough, creating a soft, fluffy cookie. Baking soda is generally used in recipes that contain an acidic ingredient such as vinegar, sour cream or citrus.

What makes cookies soft or chewy? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

How do you keep cookies crisp and chewy? ›

Room temperature: Use airtight containers, cookie jars, or plastic bags to prevent air exposure and moisture loss. Keep cookies in a cool, dry area. Refrigerated: Use airtight containers or sealed plastic bags to store cookies in the fridge. Monitor the moisture level to avoid condensation.

Do professional bakers use shortening? ›

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.

Is it better to bake cookies with butter or shortening? ›

Which One Should I Use in Cookies? Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren't as flavorful.

What creates a more tender cookie? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

Which is better butter or shortening? ›

Shortening is 100% fat, containing no water. That means no steam is created during baking which effectively reduces gluten production, so shortening cookies tend to be softer and more tender. Also, shortening has a higher melting point than butter, resulting in taller cookies.

Does shortening keep cookies from spreading? ›

Shortening can cause cookies to spread less due to its higher melting point,” Dawn explains. “Substitute it one-for-one by volume in a butter-based cookie recipe.

What makes a better biscuit butter or shortening? ›

The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.

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