Can shortening be used as a chocolate chip cookie ingredient?
Yes! I like to use a butter flavored shortening in my recipe. However, I use it in addition to butter. Shortening has no water in it as butter does. Water can mix with the flour and form gluten which makes for a tough product. (In the case of the chocolate chip cookie, straight butter adds a crispier texture. If that is what you are after great!) However, shortening gives baked goods a more tender texture. Yes, I know hydrogenated fats are thought of as bad. But as in anything else, moderation is the key. If I could make one pitch for putting shortening in as chocolate chip cookie ingredients, it would be this: shortening has a higher melting point than butter. This allows the dough to hold its form longer while the flour and eggs set up and you have a chocolate chip cookie that does not spread out as far. So if you are a thick chocolate chip cookie lover, I highly recommend trying it. But please, stick to a butter flavored shortening.
