Butter vs margarine in sugar cookies, I finally did the test

I read a bunch of baking blogs saying butter always wins but I wanted to see for myself. So last Saturday I made two batches of sugar cookies side by side. One with real butter and one with stick margarine, same recipe and same oven temp. The butter batch spread out flat and got crispy edges while the margarine ones puffed up tall and stayed soft in the middle. My wife liked the margarine ones better for decorating since they kept their shape, but the butter ones tasted way richer. I think for cutout cookies I'd go with margarine from now on. Has anyone else tried this with other cookie recipes like chocolate chip?

3 comments

3 Comments

hayden_nelson8525d agoTop Commenter

Whoa hold on, your WIFE liked the margarine ones better? I gotta be honest, that kind of shook me a little bit. I mean I get it for decorating since they hold their shape but the flavor loss is huge. I did a similar test with chocolate chip cookies once and the margarine ones just tasted like weird plastic to me. They definitely didn't have that rich buttery taste that makes a cookie worth eating.

sean78225d ago

Yeah but hold on, didn't anyone consider the texture factor for different recipes? I mean margarine has more water in it so it spreads differently, but in something like a shortbread or a sugar cookie that slight softness might actually be a plus for some people. I've noticed my butter cookies get super crumbly after a day or two but the margarine ones stay softer longer. Just saying, maybe she's not crazy, maybe she just likes a softer cookie over a buttery one. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

stellachen24d ago

Wait, did you try it with salted vs unsalted margarine? I feel like that could totally change if it gives off that weird plastic taste or not.