Would a cheap person ever use shortening in place of butter for chocolate chip cookies?

[Anonymous]

Our boss brought cookies today. His wife is an excellent cook. However, her cookies today have a strange mouthfeel and artificial taste. There are only so many ingredients in a normal chocolate chip cookie, right, so I’m assuming this time she used shortening or margarine? Apparently there’s even a butter-flavored shortening! Who knew. Or could she have used a pan that she previously cooked something greasy on? Something is off and it’s bothering me. I almost want to grab another one of these awful cookies to sus it out.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't waste time thinking about and would just toss it and move on in my life.

[Anonymous]

What does this have to do with being cheap?

[Anonymous]

There are lots of baking recipes that substitute shortening, do a mix of shortening and butter, or use oil or another fat, in lieu of butter. There are lots of reasons someone might do that, from the cost of butter to wanting to experiment to simply being short on something needing to use a substitute.

You are loading a TON of obnoxious judgment into your assessment of free cookies though. Maybe now that I have answered your question for you, we should use this thread to "sus out" what psychological damage or impairment is causing you to do this.

[Anonymous]

NP here. No need to be so hard on OP. Some people like to figure these things out. Kind of like detective work by using your sense of taste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. No need to be so hard on OP. Some people like to figure these things out. Kind of like detective work by using your sense of taste.

I love to figure things out, and I love trying to discover what ingredients someone used in a dish that gave it a particular flavor or texture. Fun game.

HOWEVER, I do not assume someone is "cheap" just because their cookies taste off to me. Especially if the cookie was given to me because they thoughtfully baked a batch for my office. OP didn't even pay for this sub-standard cooking. They are being rude and mean and deserve to get dragged for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are lots of baking recipes that substitute shortening, do a mix of shortening and butter, or use oil or another fat, in lieu of butter. There are lots of reasons someone might do that, from the cost of butter to wanting to experiment to simply being short on something needing to use a substitute.

You are loading a TON of obnoxious judgment into your assessment of free cookies though. Maybe now that I have answered your question for you, we should use this thread to "sus out" what psychological damage or impairment is causing you to do this.

Most of the things he brings us are excellent. He brings these specific cookies about once a month. I've had them before and they look the same but taste off today. Just trying to figure out the error is all.

[Anonymous]

Everyone who bakes knows that they make butter flavored shortening. My MIL made all her cookies with it and the kids have a hard time saying that they like ones made with butter better. So much so that I was going to try her recipe this past Xmas with the butter flavored Crisco sticks but they were all sold out. So everyone ate the ones made with butter instead.

Honestly, I think that they come out a bit less flat with the shortening vs the butter but that could just be me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are lots of baking recipes that substitute shortening, do a mix of shortening and butter, or use oil or another fat, in lieu of butter. There are lots of reasons someone might do that, from the cost of butter to wanting to experiment to simply being short on something needing to use a substitute.

You are loading a TON of obnoxious judgment into your assessment of free cookies though. Maybe now that I have answered your question for you, we should use this thread to "sus out" what psychological damage or impairment is causing you to do this.

Using shortening or margarine sticks instead of butter in cookies is being a cheapskate.

[Anonymous]

The word "mouthfeel" is gross and people who use it are pretentious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who bakes knows that they make butter flavored shortening. My MIL made all her cookies with it and the kids have a hard time saying that they like ones made with butter better. So much so that I was going to try her recipe this past Xmas with the butter flavored Crisco sticks but they were all sold out. So everyone ate the ones made with butter instead.

Honestly, I think that they come out a bit less flat with the shortening vs the butter but that could just be me.

It's not about flavor, butter is healthier and expensive, while Crisco is cheap, unnatural and makes you unhealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who bakes knows that they make butter flavored shortening. My MIL made all her cookies with it and the kids have a hard time saying that they like ones made with butter better. So much so that I was going to try her recipe this past Xmas with the butter flavored Crisco sticks but they were all sold out. So everyone ate the ones made with butter instead.

Honestly, I think that they come out a bit less flat with the shortening vs the butter but that could just be me.

It's not about flavor, butter is healthier and expensive, while Crisco is cheap, unnatural and makes you unhealthy.

OP was talking specifically about flavor.
Almost cookies are not healthy, made with butter or not.

[Anonymous]

I grew up making the Nestle tollhouse cookie recipe WITH Crisco.

It is not being a cheapskate, it's just a taste preference. It makes them crispier.

Also, try looking at the cost of 3 sticks of Crisco - it costs more than butter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who bakes knows that they make butter flavored shortening. My MIL made all her cookies with it and the kids have a hard time saying that they like ones made with butter better. So much so that I was going to try her recipe this past Xmas with the butter flavored Crisco sticks but they were all sold out. So everyone ate the ones made with butter instead.

Honestly, I think that they come out a bit less flat with the shortening vs the butter but that could just be me.

It's not about flavor, butter is healthier and expensive, while Crisco is cheap, unnatural and makes you unhealthy.

right, it also can make the cookies non-dairy

[Anonymous]

Maybe it's not the shortening, OP. I've had that strange mouthfeel with artificial sweeteners (hate those) and using the wrong flour for the job (cake flour instead of all-purpose). Sometimes it's a combination of ingredients that give that impression.

Just thank your boss politely, appreciate his wife's effort and discretely dispose of the cookies.