One thing I have learned in my short time attempting to bake is this: The world thinks butter has to be in everything. Don't get me wrong, there are times when butter makes food heavenly. For instance, I never substitute butter when it comes to steamed veggies or rolls.
However, in the world of baking butter is called for in almost
every recipe, and a lot of it! The sad thing is, in many cases, it is completely unnecessary! For instance, almost every time I have made cookies I have cut the butter in half- at LEAST! In making muffins or cakes, I never add butter and usually no oil either. Guess what? THEY TURN OUT JUST FINE! The key is to find good substitutes for the oil or butter that do not take away from the needed moistness or texture too much. Below are lists of hints
1. I usually about double the amount of vanilla extract.
2. Substitute oil for some good ol' apple sauce. Just use the same measurements, 1/2 cup apple sauce for a 1/2 cup oil. If you are too nervous at first, start off by doing half and half and see how you feel about it.
3. YOGURT! Oh man, I love substituting yogurt for butter. Not only does it make it moist, you can also use different flavors to add to your cakes!
4. Still nervous that your batter is too dry? Add a little bit of water or milk.
5. Low-fat pudding. Yes, it does have sugar and fat in it... but I just don't like butter ok?!
6. Low-fat sour creme. Again, not the healthiest choice, but it is a better one! And oh does sour creme work wonders!
Cookie tips: Please note that cookies are more finicky than cakes. I would still recommend halving the butter and NOT ADDING ANY SUBSTITUTES. Seriously, it will make the cookies puffier and less oily. The first time you do this you will probably be nervous because you are used to a wetter, more oily batter. However, as long as you are able to smash the cookie clumps together onto the baking sheet, you are fine! If you are super nervous you messed it up, try throwing it in muffin tins and see what happens.
Cakes/muffins: By far cakes are more experiment-able than cookies. I have drastically changed and tested many a recipe and it still came out great. I made some gluten free cupcakes for my mom that called for a whole cup of butter and I used NONE! They turned out AMAZING! I just added sour creme, yogurt, lemon and cherry juice!
If you know of other substitutes, please let me know! Nothing brings me more joy than learning of new substitutes!