Biscuits.

[nonomaybe]

I'm following a recipe to make a batch of biscuits, peanut butter ones, if you must know. The recipe calls for 1 cup of shortening and 1 cup of butter. Not having any shortening I wonder if I can substitute with cooking oil(sunflower), or margarine but the prospect of actually seeing the pile of marge AND butter specified puts me off the idea but I must have my biscuits!

Any bakers out there with an answer?

[boxtops]

According to my dic, shortening is a US term for any butter, lard or fat. Sounds like you are right!

[nonomaybe]

Blimey boxtop, talk about the speed of light! Thanks for your speedy response.Would you sub. the oil for the shortening and if so what amount?

[pastafreak]

I may be too late...but don't use oil. You will be adding another liquid,and in so doing-changing the consistency. Yes-use margarine-as long as it is not a low fat one.
How many cookies do you expect to get??/...that's an awful lot of fat...lol. It must be a huge recipe.
I have one that uses 1 1/4 cups of marg,and I get around 5 dozen cookies from it.

[nonomaybe]

Well pastafreak, like the 7th cavalry you have arrived in the nick of time as I had just decided this am. to try the oil substitution. The recipe suggests about 50 cookies will be produced and I feel that although a 1 cup total of fat seems excessive there must be a reason but I'll cut back a little methinks.
Thank you both for your advice and I know that unless they are a total disaster I'll eat 'em!!!

[pastafreak]

Do let us know how they turn out.........then we can put the kettle on!! ;-)

[Dolyy]

Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 cups flour, sift or stir before measuring
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 egg

Preparation:
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars; beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour mixture, blending well. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls; place on greased baking sheets. Flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork; dip fork in flour periodically to keep it from sticking to the peanut butter cookie dough.
Bake peanut butter cookies at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes.