Substitute for Crisco/Shortening in cookies

[Jim in Phoenix]

Hi!

I am going to try to make my mother's old cookie recipes tonight and I have a question.

The receipes are sort of old and they call for "Crisco" or "Spry". These products seem somewhat old fashioned to me....is it okay to still use those in the recipes? None of the recipes call for butter, but they call for Crisco. Should I make them as called for or subsitute something else for the shortening?

Unfortunately, Mom is no longer with us, so I can't ask her.

Thanks for your help!

 

[GB]

Crisco is still used very frequently. It is not something that was only used back in the olden days. I am not sure about Spry, but that might be something that is no longer used. I could be wrong about that though.

Feel free to use the Crisco in you recipe and enjoy the cookies you mom used to make.

Welcome to the site by the way.

 

[Jim in Phoenix]

Thanks for your help. This is a great site and I look forward to keeping up with the posts.

My recipes are also my Mom's Italian cookies. I noticed the post before mine was also in reference to Italian cookies.

 

[Andy M.]

Crisco and Spry are two different brand names for vegetable shortening. I don't think Spry is arpund any more. Use the Crisco.

 

[Swann]

I would use butter. Cost was the factor in the 50s and 60s but butter has a better flavor and no transfat. Oleo is almost 50% wateer now and called spread.

 

[Shunka]

Use the Crisco; more than likely substituting butter or margarine would ruin the recipe because of the different melting temps they all have. I still use Crisco over any other vegetable shortening.

 

[Andy M.]

Using butter in place of shortening will result in flatter, thinner cookies.

 

[StirBlue]

Those recipes may be listed in the Brand Name Recipe Collection cookbook. People used to make cookies with fat drippings from sausage or bacon. They let the grease settle and scrape off the clean from the top. We always used chicken grease for making french fries. The flavor is tops to any oil out there.
I can't remember life without crisco. It was always a must for pie crust. Besides butter or margarine, what are you using for shortening? Oil does not sub for shortening. Maybe yogurt or sour cream?

 

[auntdot]

Spry is not longer available and has not been for many years.

But Crisco sure is and I would go with it.

My cholesterol is low and became that way by eating healthier than I used to.

But that does not mean I shun all fatty foods all of the time.

This is Christmas time and have tossed away my self imposed dietary restrictions for the interim (cannot really follow anything I feel forced to do, am a stubborn old bird).

But even when I am trying to be aware of what goes into me, would try Crisco if a recipe called for it.

Just my opinion.

And I am sure many here would love it if you would post the recipe.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Holidays. God Bless.

 

[JenLee09]

Italian Wedding Cookies...?

Thanks for your help. This is a great site and I look forward to keeping up with the posts.

My recipes are also my Mom's Italian cookies. I noticed the post before mine was also in reference to Italian cookies.

Jim in Phoenix: my mom was raised in an ol Catholic Italian family & has been desperatley searching for a recipie that her grandmother used to make. The only description she has is that it took quiet a while to make, had a fruit filling & she believes that cream cheese was in the batter. Any ideas?

I would love to get some of your mothers recipes if you are one to share. Thanks for a newbie to the forums

 

[Lizannd]

I was in the grocery store a few months ago looking

for the Trans Fat Free Crisco. Only regular was on the shelf, I located the manager and he went over to the shelf to help me find it and there was only one type of Crisco available. When we looked at the can, guess what. It is the Trans Fat Free Crisco, just packaged as regular old Crisco.
I realize that trans fat free products can and do have small amounts of trans fat in them, but they are still lower in trans fat that the regular products. Use the Crisco, and don't worry about the health aspects.
The cookies won't taste the same with butter.

 

[ChefJune]

I made my Italian Christmas cookies that called for Crisco, melted, this past holiday, but I used lard. I bought leaf lard (you can get it at a butcher) and rendered it. It keeps literally forever in the fridge.

I have to say that the lard resulted in a much more tender cookie than I ever got with the Crisco.

 

[Lizannd]

And lard makes the best pie crust also. Even a

little bit of lard in the crust makes a big difference.

 

[ChefJune]

little bit of lard in the crust makes a big difference.

Amen to that. and also in biscuits.

 

[JenLee09]

Making biscuits

Okay, so I'm making biscuits for dinner. It calls for Crisco, but I don't have any. Will cold cut in butter work just as well..or maybe not "just" as well, but will it do? Thanks

 

[Callisto in NC]

Okay, so I'm making biscuits for dinner. It calls for Crisco, but I don't have any. Will cold cut in butter work just as well..or maybe not "just" as well, but will it do? Thanks

Does the recipe call for any water? I know it was mentioned that on the Crisco site, there's a conversion chart. I'll see if I can find the link.

 

[ChefJune]

I've never used butter, only lard or Crisco, but I don't see why not.

 

[JenLee09]

Recipe

Does the recipe call for any water? I know it was mentioned that on the Crisco site, there's a conversion chart. I'll see if I can find the link.

Ingredients:

•Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray•2 cups White Lily® Self-Rising Flour•1/4 cup Crisco® All-Vegetable ShorteningOR 1/4 stick Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks•3/4 cup milk or buttermilk, plus additional as needed

I love, love, love these white lily biscuits. Always used the Crisco, but I can't get to the store today. I really hope the butter will work. What do you think? Is it worth atleast a try?

 

[Alix]

JenLee, this thread is a couple of years old so you might not get an answer to your question (about the Italian recipes). If you take a peek at the top left corner you will see Post Date so you will be able to tell how current the discussion is.

BTW, if you DO get an answer I will be reading it along with you. I'd love to get some of those recipes too! Welcome to DC.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

little bit of lard in the crust makes a big difference.

Unfortunately, even if you just use a little bit of lard, you can't share the baked goods with any of your Jewish or Muslim friends.