My claim to fame has never been baking but I’m giving it a try. I recently was honored to receive a beautiful KitchenAid mixer as a gift and it’s given me the motivation to try. I loved baking with my mom as a kid and I want to continue those traditions with my daughter. I’m thrilled to say that I successfully made a batch of my favorite Christmas cookies, honey cutouts. I also made a batch of another family favorite, butter cracker bars.
Since I’m new to the baking game I’ve wondered about the art of substitution when it comes to ingredients. Baking has been said to be more chemistry than anything (did I mention that I dropped out of chemistry in high school?) and I always fear messing something up. I read and re-read the ingredients list to ensure I’m getting things right.
Grandma’s butter cracker bars call specifically for margarine. I grew up using margarine and more recently used butter while I was pregnant. It was so yummy. How about the health of it all? I have to admit that boggles my mind as well. Are the natural ingredients in butter best or is the reduction in saturated fats of a soft spread a better choice? My husband’s family has a history of poor heart health so it’s a major concern for us. How does one sort it all out?
I gave the butter cracker bars a shot using Promise soft spread in a tub instead of a margarine stick. The bars came together ok but the consistency of the carmel layer wasn’t quite right and the taste was off a bit in my opinion (that said my husband had no trouble eating them!). I looked to this ehow site for some answers on how to best substitute a soft spread when baking and found a lot of ideas, however all suggest trial and error comes into play regardless of what you try (more chemistry huh?).
Another solution for your baking needs would be to go right to the source and use a recipe tried and tested by the soft spread company itself. Check out the resources found on ItIsGoodToKnow.com for more facts and recipes. Unilever has a wide variety of soft spreads, including Country Crock, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, Promise, Brummel & Brown, and Imperial.
They all:
• Have 0g trans fat per serving
• Contain no partially hydrogenated oils
• Have no cholesterol
• Are 70% less fat than butter per serving
• Have 30% fewer calories than butter per serving
I’ve included a selection of cookie recipes from Country Crock and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! for you to try. The peanut butter oatmeal cookies look amazing to me! I might have to try them out on my new mixer.
- One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Anytime Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkles
- Best Ever Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
WIN IT
One lucky reader will receive a Good to Know baking set which includes:
• Silpat® baking sheet liner
• Steel Cooling Rack
• Nonstick cookie sheet
• Stainless steel cookie scoop
• $10 Target or Walmart gift card (your choice) to purchase a Unilever spread and baking ingredients
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I received a small gift for this post however all thoughts remain 100% my own!
About Janelle
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The recipe for maple Baked Sweet Potatoes, sounds really good.Thanks for having this contest!
walnut moons.
I like to bake white chocolate cranberry cookies.
I would love to try the Sweet Potato Pie recipe.
Homemade snickerdoodles
Welsh Cookies
I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
I would like to try Apple ‘N Cheddar Grilled Cheese
Roasted Cauliflower
i like no bake oatmeal cookies
the roasted cauliflower looks good
My favorite thing to bake is pumpkin bread.
Pull Apart Savory Monkey Bread
Love to make a cherry cheesecake
I love chocolate chip cookies.
I’d like to try the recipe for the Apple Maple Upside-Down Cake.
My favorite is my grandmothers homemade pie crust and lemon Meringue pie
I would love to try the Loaded Broccoli Mashed Potatoes recipe
My favorite baking recipe is for banana bread.
longbarb1@aol.com
I would love to try the recipe for Warm Autumn Goat Cheese Salad.
longbarb1@aol.com
Thanks for the giveaway…oatmeal-pumpkin cookies
I would love to try the Creamy Shrimp Risotto recipe!