Nutritionist by trade. Foodie at heart.
For as long as I’ve been a dietitian, this debate is still going on. There always seems to be a different spin each time. Butter is saturated but margarine isn’t. Butter is ‘natural’ but margarine is manufactured. And don’t get me started on the whole hydrogenated vs. non-hydrogenated issue. Serious bakers and chefs swear byContinue reading “Butter versus margarine – which one is better?”
So now I’ve tried substituting margarine for butter in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and shortbread cookies. Time for the ultimate test: butter vs. margarine straight up (i.e. spread on bread). There will be no other strong flavours and ingredients to compete with the flavour and texture – just each one on its own. For this tasteContinue reading “Butter versus margarine: Spread on bread”
The following is a comparison of the observations I experienced when making cookies for a butter vs. margarine shortbread taste test. I used butter, Becel Omega-3 Plus and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (a margarine with butter flavouring). Here is the recipe and the differences I noticed as I was preparing each batch. Ingredients: 2Continue reading “Food Lab: Shortbread cookies (butter vs. margarine)”
With last week’s results from the butter vs. margarine: oatmeal chocolate chip cookie taste test, I decided to take the butter vs. margarine debate one step further. I would choose a cookie where there would be less flavours interfering with the buttery taste. What better cookie to choose than shortbread? I suspect that this cookie willContinue reading “Butter versus margarine: Shortbread cookies”
Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1 cup butter (or margarine), softened 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats InContinue reading “Food Lab: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (butter vs. margarine)”
With my newly acquired tub of Becel Omega-3 Plus margarine and my recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, I set about that evening to bake two batches of cookies. I made two batches – one made with margarine and one made with butter. Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp saltContinue reading “Butter versus margarine: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies”