Baking

ingredient spotlight: butter

What makes your pancakes so gloriously golden and crisp around the edges?

Butter does!

What takes your grilled cheese sandwich to the whole next level?

Butter does!

What makes your chocolate chip cookies so irresistibly chewy and delicious?

Butter does! Butter does! Butter does!


I just want to take a moment and apologize ahead of time to all my vegan readers out there. I love you and I love vegan food. I really do. And, I love healthy desserts. Angela’s blog makes me drool and coconut milk ice cream gets me every time.

But I also love butter.

Because, with butter, you can get superior baking results such as delightfully crisp edges, chewy cookie interiors and rich golden crusts.

Plus, there’s just so much you can do with it! You can spread it on bread, whip it into frosting, beat it into cakes and even spread it on burns.

That’s what man handling a five hundred degree walk-in oven in the middle of the night will do to you….I’ll tell you what.

And there’s really not much more in life that I hate more than the “m” word. I think we all know what I’m alluding to here but let’s just say it starts with aarrrrrr and ends with riiiiiiiine.

(margarine)

It just doesn’t taste right! Sorta like those fake sugar frappacinos from Starbucks, or like iced tea sweetened with Equal. Like everyone else, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of diet soda and candy corn, but when it comes to baking there’s no turning back.

I usually try to buy local butter when I can from cows not treated with any growth hormones. Typically, I’ll buy salted because I like that little extra punch it gives my baked goods. Once upon a time, I worked for a chef who made me do a butter tasting. It might sound gross (are you even still reading?), but, really, the quality of your butter does make a difference!

I’m not trying to go all Paula Deen on you…but it’s true.

The last thing I’ll say is that our grandmas baked with butter. And their grandmas did, too. There was nothing fake in great-grandma’s bundt cake and desserts were celebrated and shared by family and friends.

Amen

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  • Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
    October 20, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    Butter always makes it better. My grandma used more butter than humanly possible and lived into her 90s.

    • eatmovelove
      October 20, 2010 at 3:33 pm

      “Butter always makes it better.”

      That should be a slogan or something! 🙂

      • Natalia - a side of simple
        October 20, 2010 at 4:50 pm

        I wholeheartedly agree! When-oh-when did it become a, get ready,”taboo”?

  • Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
    October 20, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    I am totally with you. There’s nothing quite like butter on bread. Butter, eggs, and cheese are three reasons I could never go vegan.

    • eatmovelove
      October 20, 2010 at 3:33 pm

      Amen to that….and meat for me 😉

  • Amy
    October 20, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    I used to beg my dad for pieces of butter to eat. No bread. Just a slice of butter. I have vivid memories of tugging at his pant-leg until he finally agreed to give me a piece. Then, I went through a “I hate butter” phase of adolescence, but now, I can fully appreciate butter for the kitchen superstar that it is!

  • Allie Nic @ Frisky Lemon
    October 20, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    Ditto on the butter love– sometimes I want to eat it plain…it doesn’t get much better than real (possibly French) butter.

    I consider margarine a food-like substance…there’s really nothing butter-like about the base ingredients. Why fake it when the real thing tastes so dang good?

  • Lisa
    October 20, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    I LOVE this post! Butter makes everything better, and you’re right, there is nothing like it.

    There is also nothing like a warm piece of sourdough bread with butter. Mmmmm

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing
    October 20, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    Butter makes the world go round. It baffles me how some people think margarine can be better for you, full of crazy unpronounceable ingredients, rather than pure butter. I would like to shout to the world, butter will not make you fat!

  • Hope
    October 20, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    I totally agree with you on the butter thing! Butter gets a real bad rep, but its what our great grandmothers used!
    Butter tasting I am not sure about….I remember as a kid going to some kind of buffet restaurant and shoving in my mouth what I thought was a big hunk of cheese – nope, it was butter…YUCK!

  • leslie
    October 20, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    i used to be an earth balance person, but i made the switch a while back. i consider butter to be real food. it has two ingredients. i buy it organic and i thoroughly believe in it in moderation, like anything else.

    i don’t bake, but scrambled eggs made with butter and cream: that is where brunch is at.

  • Meredith @ An Epic Change
    October 20, 2010 at 1:24 pm

    I am a FIRM believer in butter and can’t believe I ever went through a nearly-vegan phase (no worries, I now eat Texas brisket and smear butter on my Virginia Biscuits weekly).

  • Alexia @ Dimple Snatcher
    October 20, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    mmmmm. and michael pollan writes about the importance of eating how our grandmothers ate 😉

  • Laughter-Loving Stacy
    October 20, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    I was a huge “anti-butter” person (due to my crazy obsession with losing weight). But ever since I met my boyfriend a year ago, I’ve slowly grown to love butter, and now use it all the time. For once, he’s right. Ha, ha!

  • Lindsay Perrone (goodiesgalore)
    October 20, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    I am JUST starting to eat –not because I was avoiding due to nutrition but because I would always prefer sweet over savory. Hot damn was I missing out.

  • Alexia @ Dimple Snatcher
    October 20, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    apparently eating that way is healthier, butter and all.

  • Charles
    October 20, 2010 at 1:30 pm

    I can’t think of many things that a tab of butter won’t help..
    Throw in a tablespoon just as your scrambled eggs are starting to come together.. Mmm..

  • Bethany @ More Fruit Please
    October 20, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    Thank you for shining the spotlight on an ingredient that takes a lot of flack from everyone! As a kid, my favorite thing to do when no one was looking was to dip my finger into a stick of butter and get a little lick as if I was sneaking frosting off a cake.

  • Sarah @ going on goals
    October 20, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    I love butter! Butter, eggs and milk… reasons why I could never go vegan.

  • Jenny
    October 20, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    I love this! I’ve just recently started appreciating butter and not “m”.
    GO butter.

  • Apicius' Apprentice
    October 20, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    AMEN! Amen indeed. Accept no substitutes 🙂

  • Alina @ Duty Free Foodie
    October 20, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    I feel like you just put words to so many of the things I feel about butter! It makes sooo many things better. If only it also made pie crusts! And I am totally with you on margarine as well – what a terrible and sacriligious invention it is. I love butter, I eat it every day, and I am not ashamed to say so.

    • Krista
      October 21, 2010 at 9:01 am

      The very best pie crust is made with 2/3 lard and 1/3 butter. The lard gives it flakiness and the butter contributes that great flavour. Don’t be scared off by lard. I’d eat it over shortening any day. Shortening, margarine and whip topping are oils that have been chemically altered. Can’t be good for us…

  • Amber K
    October 20, 2010 at 1:34 pm

    Ahh yes I forgot vegans wouldn’t like butter! Those of us who are lactose-intolerant such as myself really miss things like butter. 😉

  • Jasmine @ Eat Move Write
    October 20, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    Very true. My grandmother definitely used butter. I’ve switched to using salted butter in my baked goods. It just seems silly. How many cals was I really shaving off anyway?

  • molly l
    October 20, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    brilliant, jenna! thanks for stating what we all should be proclaiming from the rooftops.

    you mentioned you prefer local butter- do you have any other recommendations for more “name-brand” organic butters we could find in our stores?

    i will never ever lose my love-love relationship with butter- anything in moderation is a-ok in my book 🙂

  • Heather
    October 20, 2010 at 1:39 pm

    YES! Our grandmother’s baked with REAL butter, REAL sugar, REAL flour…white stuff even. The horror, right!?!

    Real people eat real food.

    Thanks for making that known.

    • eatmovelove
      October 20, 2010 at 3:36 pm

      I love this. I read a quote or something recently that Michael Pollan said don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t have used. He’s obviously referring to alot of the processed stuff – but obviously they used butter, flours, etc…

  • Sheri
    October 20, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    I love butter, full fat Fage, 2% milk and real cheese! Jenna- you’ve totally helped me appreciate all of this more….

  • Dorry
    October 20, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    This post would make my Grammy proud! 🙂

  • Michelle @ Turning Over a New Leaf
    October 20, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    Preach it, sista!

  • Erin @ small things
    October 20, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    So I’m just kinda figuring out that I have some trouble with dairy, but have FIRMLY decided that I’ll still eat/use/delight in butter. so there.

  • Julie @SavvyEats
    October 20, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    If it makes you feel any better about the butter tasting, I had to do a frying oil tasting at last summer’s internship… I wish I was kidding. 😉

  • Sara
    October 20, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    HELL YES TO BUTTER! I can’t stand that “m” word either. Ick.

    But off topic, sort of, I noticed your stand mixer bowl with paddle—um, how do you throw in chips and mix it up without the paddle acting like it’s about to throw a fit in the bowl? Or do you stir them in and just put the paddle in the bowlf or a pretty photo? 🙂 I ask because I recently got a KA stand mixer, and while I love it, I have found you can’t throw in chocolate chips or nuts because the paddle will start to hit the bowl and that’s a no-no according to the little booklet of KA knowledge. So, do tell!

  • Maria
    October 20, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    I kind of want to bow down to this post. Amen & hallelujah girlfriend, butter is best!

  • Sarah (Oc2Seattle)
    October 20, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    Well said. Everything’s better with butter 😉

  • Morgan
    October 20, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    I love what your blog has turned into!

  • Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
    October 20, 2010 at 2:44 pm

    I am a GF vegan…I came to this life path after having tons of food allergies, most notably dairy, eggs, and gluten. Pretty much the 3 things that make baking much easier…and often times much tastier…I am intolerant to.

    I totally agree w/ you about butter. If I could tolerate dairy better, you better believe I’d be cooking or baking with it!

    “the quality of your butter does make a difference!”–YES it does. My parents are both phenomenal cooks and one year for Xmas I got them a butter tasting gift. Butters from all over the world that I got from this fancy online cooking site. They were in hog buttery heaven 🙂

  • Lisa
    October 20, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    Butter really DOES make everything taste better! Will never give it up!

  • Moni'sMeals
    October 20, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    Darn you and your AMAZING, SPECTACULAR PHOTOS! I am drooling…
    Yes, butter butter butter, still why I am not 100% vegan myself. 😉

  • Karena
    October 20, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    mmm butter…nothing beats it! all that smart balance, margarine, i can’t believe it’s not butter crap…BOO.

  • Vicky @ eat live spin
    October 20, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    Love this post! Love butter too! Butter on toast, baked potatoes, all of the things you listed above… etc

  • jenna
    October 20, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    butter definitely makes everything better. and, as i know from my granny’s cooking, lard also makes everything better. but that’s another discussion for another day. 😉

    • megan @ whatmegansmaking
      October 21, 2010 at 5:23 am

      I have just started using lard in things like tortillas and welsh cakes – it’s definitely better than crisco (for those things anyway)

  • Leah
    October 20, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    Thank you for saying that! I love butter and I think it’s wrongly maligned. Everything in moderation, and like you say, baking wouldn’t be the same without it!

  • Brenna (fabuleuxdestin)
    October 20, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    This morning I made french toast, with, GASP, butter! You’re right, I never used it before and now I’m not going back. French cuisine = butter = deliciousness

  • Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
    October 20, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    Love this post. I hate margarine with a passion and have never touched it (unless completely desperate or no other choice). People need to stop being afraid of it!

  • Liza
    October 20, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    Butter makes everything better. I remember as a child my favorite aunt making me sugar bread: a piece of white bread smothered in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Pretty much the most amazing thing ever.

    • Liza
      October 21, 2010 at 7:41 am

      My name is Liza, too! I haven’t seen another Liza in blogland before. Just thought I would say hi! Oh, and I do love me some buttah. I go through phases where I don’t bake with it, but it always pulls me back in. Mmmmmm.

  • Karen
    October 20, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    I love this!!! Butter is truly amazing. As far as I’m concerned, margarine has no place in anything and butter is healthier, anyway.

  • Annie@stronghealthyfit
    October 20, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    Love that you just wrote a post on butter. I agree with you, though I do make a lot of things low-fat or with unsaturated fat.
    Paula Dean, y’all!

  • Heather (Heather's Dish)
    October 20, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    i’m all about the butter…it’s really the only thing that makes me swoon when cooking!

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape
    October 20, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    Haha, everything really does taste better with butter. I made sauteed carrots once ala Julia Child so of course they were coated in butter and I swear my dinner guests (a bunch of 20 year olds, like me) all took seconds. Now..if that is not a testament to the power of butter, I don’t know what is 😀

  • Katie @ Up Fit Creek
    October 20, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    Oh my gosh. I would love to eat that entire bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough. You don’t even have to bake them! Just lemme at it with a spoon. So yum.

    I’m not sure why butter gets such a bad rap. You’re right that it makes so many delicious foods even more delicious. I think, as with anything in life, moderation is key. (i.e. not eating the whole bowl of dough as I suggested above)

  • Krystina (Organically Me)
    October 20, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    I’m vegan and even I can appreciate butter!

  • Tina
    October 20, 2010 at 3:48 pm

    I loooovveeeee BUTTER!

  • Christena
    October 20, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    My amateur kitchen rule is that there is one ingredient that can take a dish from good to great or (sometimes, even) from terrible to wonderful………BUTTER. Often, I find that butter is the single ingredient that really brings a recipe together.

  • chandra
    October 20, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    I’ve always thought I was weird for this (because it is kinda weird), but every time I’m baking I take a little dab of the butter on my finger and “taste” it… Weird, right?

  • theemptynutjar
    October 20, 2010 at 3:54 pm

    Butter is amazing. And so is oils.
    I recently had a big slab of cod and potatoes. I poured butter on the cod and the potatoes while they were baking. It tasted just like Christmas Eve (it was tradition growing up to have butter, fish, bread, cheese, potatoes, etc on that day of the year….butter on fish is amazing).

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss
    October 20, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    I used to sub different ingredients for butter to make them healthier..but ohhhh did that sacrifice the taste and texture!

  • katie
    October 20, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    AMEN to butter!!!

  • Vanessa
    October 20, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    AMEN!

    Not to mention butter doesn’t have transfats in it, like shortening…

  • Jody
    October 20, 2010 at 4:32 pm

    Amen!! I’ve always loved your blog, but I love it even more lately. Your pictures are beautiful too!!

  • jamie
    October 20, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    i love your blog. thanks for your great posts.
    can you tell me the difference between salted & unsalted butter? i mean, duh, the salt, but in terms of results in baking or cooking? IS there a difference? i always stare at the dairy case forever before grabbing the salted, but i DO wonder….even though i’m a salt fiend (i tell myself i exercise & sweat a lot, but basically i’m just addicted).

    and i did try margarine the other day after years of sticking with butter and WHOA man it tasted bad. even in the final product. ew. never again. real foods rule.

  • Natalia - a side of simple
    October 20, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    Thank God. Now excuse me as I go churn some of my own….

  • Susan
    October 20, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    The real food diet really does work best, doesn’t it? I feel my best when I eat real food. Now I also feel my best when I eat normal portions, and when it comes to sweets this can be hard to do. I need your tips on how to bake often and be around such great food and limit myself to one cookie, Jenna! Okay, maybe two.

  • Katherine @ Left Coast Contessa
    October 20, 2010 at 5:14 pm

    Preach! Things just don’t taste the same without butter!

  • shannen
    October 20, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    jenna, just wondering- how different do you feel now that you’re wholly embracing this new ‘everything in moderation’ outlook compared to when you focused a lot more on pure ‘healthy’ food? this is NOT meant to be malicious, just curious! i think it’s really admirable you broke away from your previous ‘health nazi’ lifestyle.. hehe.

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey
    October 20, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    I TOTALLY agree with you, but my food intolerances get in the way of me and butter.

  • dana@mylittlecelebration
    October 20, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    Jenna, I’m fairly new to your blog and must say I’m that crushing on it already. You take such beautiful pictures and your recipes look spot-on every time. Awesome job.

    Look forward to following you in the future,
    Dana

  • kate
    October 20, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    Is margarine fake butter then? Does it have less calories or something? Clearly Im out of the butter loop!

    • lindsay ann
      October 23, 2010 at 4:35 pm

      It is a molecule away from plastic, don’t know about the calories but I wouldn’t eat it.

  • Coco
    October 20, 2010 at 5:50 pm

    thank god for this blog. i’m sick of reading about people’s “low-fat made with splenda-and-applesauce-instead-of-oil” baked goods…i am sitting here reading this while eating a slice of zucchini bread made with REAL SUGAR and REAL BUTTER…and it is delicious.

  • Camille
    October 20, 2010 at 5:59 pm

    Butter is, hands down, one of the most perfect foods in the world. I would marry butter if I could.

  • Linda Schaack
    October 20, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    I am from WI – the dairy state, and only cook with butter. It just doesn’t make sense to use something fake – it is the base ingredient for too many things.

    I can remember a time when margarine was illegal in Wisconsin – it was a huge deal to drive to Illinois and purchase Oleo – that is the name I knew it by. I just looked it up and Wisconsin became the last state to repeal restrictions on margarine in 1967.

    Everything IS better with butter. 😉

  • Jamie M
    October 20, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    It is so funny you post about butter today. Earlier today I was given a taste of a vegan cookie and the first thought that came to mind was…this cookie is missing butter! I used to use substitutes in all of my baking, trying to eliminate as much butter as possible but now I realize you just cannot beat the quality of a baked good made with pure butter. On a side note, my younger brother used to chomp away at a stick of butter when he was a toddler…that’s taking the love a little too far haha but the kid appreciated a good thing!
    Take care hun and I’m loving the energy of your blog!

  • Kris
    October 20, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    Oh how I hate butter! The consistency, the smell, the awful taste in mouth. Since I was a child. I do agree that baked goods taste much better with it though. Just don’t make me think about it!

    • Jenny D.
      October 21, 2010 at 12:17 pm

      That’s funny – I have to be honest… I’m the same way. Everything about butter on things grosses me out. I don’t mind it IN things like baked goods or dishes but I have NEVER been one to add butter to something… the taste alone upsets my stomach. I was reading through all the comments and felt so out of the loop! Not hating on those that do like it, but personally, I just can’t do it.

  • marie
    October 20, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    I grew up on butter, and although I can admit that in some recipes, butter will yield superior results, I don’t think there is anything wrong with using margarine on a daily basis to spread on toast or for a quick batch of cookies. I don’t really notice the difference anyways.

    Plus, margarine is more convenient (tub) and is always easily spreadable whereas butter is either too hard when stored in the fridge and then too soft when at room temperate. Margarine has less saturated fats. AND margarine is much cheaper, at half the price of butter.

    NOT that I don’t like butter, just playing devil’s advocate.

    Oh, and if you ask me, for pie crust and icing, shortening is the way to go!

    • Sally
      October 20, 2010 at 10:34 pm

      Margarine is only easily spreadable because it’s been hydrogenated… Trans fat alert! It’s just not natural for vegetable oil to be in solid form. Butter is natural though 🙂

    • Sally
      October 20, 2010 at 10:36 pm

      To play the devil’s advocate back: Margarine is only easily spreadable because it has been hydrogenated. And that means icky trans fat. It’s just not natural for vegetable fat to be in solid form. Butter is 100% natural 🙂

  • Rebekah
    October 20, 2010 at 6:52 pm

    oh yummy I am lovin your blog these days and butter always!

  • larissa
    October 20, 2010 at 7:17 pm

    all i can say is loveeeee! ( butter, this post, and eating philosphy) thanks for writing this out there, I feel like some healthy bloggers wouldnt write this cause its “taboo” but the realness- great!

  • Diana @ frontyardfoodie
    October 20, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    Well, at least someone came up with Earth Balance because being vegan is rough because of butter! I didn’t use to like it at all but developed a love for it before going vegan. Now I use Earth Balance.

  • frannie
    October 20, 2010 at 7:37 pm

    jenna, out of all the “food blogs” out there, i really find yours the most relatable and engaging! i can appreciate what they’re doing for the most part, but i just don’t understand all the “you’d never know they were healthy!” kind of recipes, like basically “dessert that isn’t really dessert”. i’m a huge advocate of eating how your grandmother ate!

  • Helen
    October 20, 2010 at 7:39 pm

    I have to agree with you! I do admit that I use earth balance for daily use; however, for holidays and special occasions….butter it is!!

  • Ingrid
    October 20, 2010 at 9:12 pm

    totally agree, but never put butter on a burn. please. PLEASE!

  • Amber
    October 20, 2010 at 9:13 pm

    Hold on- there’s diet candy corn?? This exists? Wtf.

  • Julie
    October 20, 2010 at 9:59 pm

    MMM I LOVE BUTTER!!! Particularly salted butter. I actually grew up on margarine, and had the audacity to refer to it as butter! *gasp* but I have been converted. As long as you don’t use gobs of it, everything in moderation! ( although I didn’t use that philosophy as I gorged on sushi this evening.. ughhhghghhghg… stuffed, haha )

  • kelsey@snackingsquirrel.com
    October 20, 2010 at 10:29 pm

    well dip me in batter and toss me in that pan of butter!
    nom nom nom <3

  • notyet100
    October 21, 2010 at 12:56 am

    butter,..cant think of life without it,/..

  • Paige @Running Around Normal
    October 21, 2010 at 4:28 am

    I use butter when I really need it. I love to cook eggs in a little pat of butter, and I love butter on bread. A lot of baking I’ll use butter, too 🙂
    It really is pretty delicious!

  • Laura @ The Things I Said I'd Never Do
    October 21, 2010 at 5:10 am

    I have blown my co-op budget multiple times because they sell such amazing butter. I’d make a terrible vegan.

    PS-I just re-found your website and I love how you’ve moved your focus to food in all forms. I’m a better cook than baker but some of your baking recipes and tips are pushing me out of my kitchen comfort zone and into the world of baking. My husband thanks you.

  • jenna
    October 21, 2010 at 5:14 am

    i’ve rediscovered my love for butter lately too! 🙂 thanks to pure irish butter mmmmmmmmm….heaven pure heaven.

  • maya
    October 21, 2010 at 5:16 am

    I love butter! When I was little I apparently loved butter so much that my mom had a hard time keeping my fingers out of the butter dish. I would go after it like some kids go after the sugar bowl.. or paste.

    My mom likes to tell me that once when I was five or so she got so frustrated with me sticking my fingers in the butter dish that she picked the whole thing up and pie’d me in the face with it. She still cracks up at the mental image of me opening my eyes under a full face of softened yellow butter. 😀

    …it didn’t actually keep me from going after the butter dish for a few more years, though.

  • Devon
    October 21, 2010 at 5:21 am

    There is NOTHING better than super buttery chocolate chip cookies. NOTHING.

  • Dani
    October 21, 2010 at 5:21 am

    Love……….

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin
    October 21, 2010 at 5:45 am

    Ditto to this post! My parents actually forbade margarine in our house when I was young because they hated it so much. 😛 And now I can’t stand the taste of it. I gotta have the real thing!

  • Jordy
    October 21, 2010 at 5:48 am

    I hope that some day I won’t look on butter as “taboo” and will find the courage to use it in baked goods! I’m afraid, really, of any kind of fatty spread – butter, shortening, Earth Balance, all of it – I think I look on those things as “wasted” calories and fat grams. I need to get out of this thought process, because it’s so stupid! I want to be able to add butter to a quick bread recipe without fear. Because you’re right, it DOES taste so much better!! And it IS real and natural, no strange ingredients or hydrogenated oils. It’s just the fat that freaks me out. Thank you for writing this post, though, because it helps give me a positive perspective on butter…something I haven’t consumed in a loooong time.

  • Amanda
    October 21, 2010 at 5:58 am

    I’m a butter lover as well. I’ve been dying to make my own butter. I know so many people who milk their own cows, I just need to get my hands on the fresh cream!

  • Laura
    October 21, 2010 at 6:20 am

    butter & bacon, amen!

  • Lina@GreenLivingNY
    October 21, 2010 at 6:21 am

    my grandparetns still make their home made butter, they live in a nice small vilage in Moldova, Eastern Europe, oh God is it GOOOD! I can wait to go visit them, I miss them so much! they have their cow, their chickens = fresh egges! It’s like haven! And their garden is delicious! 🙂

  • Stephanie @ The Cookie Battle
    October 21, 2010 at 6:55 am

    Butter is the best thing on earth. That is all.

  • Marian
    October 21, 2010 at 7:10 am

    Can I just say, i really appreciate this post???? I LOVE healthy eating and am basically a flexitarian and i love the way that healthy food makes me feel but you know what? sometimes, you want to eat the most delicious buttery treat. and that doesnt make you an unhealthy person! thank you for embracing this fact! chocolate chip cookies are healthy for the soul. and that is a fact.

  • Tamara
    October 21, 2010 at 9:49 am

    butter does make things better but sometimes it goes too far….

    the local fair around here(statesboro, ga) has deep fried butter(on a stick i would assume)….i have a picture of the sign to prove it…….blech

  • Kristen
    October 21, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    I really want some pancakes and grilled cheese right now. & now I kind of want to bake. I think I might make some brownies or cookies or something tomorrow or saturday.

  • Heather
    October 21, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    There are other reasons, besides being vegan, that people don’t eat butter… for instace, I am casein intolerant so I cannot eat dairy.

  • Trish
    October 22, 2010 at 5:59 pm

    Will you just move in with me and cook for me?!?!? Pretty, pretty please! 😉

  • katherine
    October 24, 2010 at 10:26 am

    Butter is better. Margarine just never cuts it. I am a holistic nutritionist and fully support butter. Organic is preferred. But please. Please. No margarine people. It’s processed. End of story.

  • Socorro Bednarczyk
    June 22, 2011 at 11:37 pm

    Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot!