Salted or unsalted butter for cookies - which one to choose?

Baking can be a very tricky game. While cooking allows for a dash of this and a dash of that, baking requires precision and patience to ensure your baked goods come out the way you want them to.

One of the most used ingredients in confectionery is butter, and it is also one of the most delicate ingredients. It always has to be the perfect temperature and texture or it can spoil the whole recipe.

Another problem with butter is that there are salted and unsalted varieties on the market, and many recipes often call for “butter” only. This can make choosing the right butter a difficult process.

So how do you choose between salted and unsalted butter for cookies? Whenever you bake cookies, you should opt for unsalted butter, as it is fresher and makes it easier to control the use of salt in recipes that are meant to be sweet. 

Read on to learn how to use salted and unsalted butter, why unsalted butter is better for baking, as well as the different types of butter and how they affect your baked goods.

What is butter?

Butter is considered a fat that is made from churning milk. Unlike other fats like oil, butter is rich, thick, and creamy in both texture and flavor. 

It is an extremely versatile fat and is used both in savory cooking and in baking. It is also used as a seasoning and can be spread on toast or spread over corn or potatoes.

You’ll see butter in many different dessert recipes, as it’s a staple in baking and plays a very specific role in the success of desserts.

What does butter do and why is it important in cookie making?

In confectionery, each ingredient plays a specific role. It can be frustrating at times for those who like to do their own thing or use a recipe as a guide or starting point.

When baking, it’s important to measure perfectly and understand how each ingredient reacts with each other. For example, baking soda and baking powder, while both are leavening agents, work differently.

One of the most important ingredients in cookies is butter. And it is that butter does a lot when the cookies are baking.

It not only gives cookies a delicious flavor and flakes, but also affects the structure of the cookie and its ability to rise. 

This is due to the ability of butter to affect gluten production in the cookie. With its fat and moisture content, it can either produce or inhibit the amount of gluten that is produced.

So, as you can see, butter affects the flavor, texture, and structure of a cookie, making it one of the most important ingredients in a cookie recipe.

Should you use salted or unsalted butter for cookies?

When choosing between unsalted and salted butter for biscuits, it’s always a good idea to choose an unsalted variety. Of course, there may be times when you don’t have a choice, but if you have a choice, always choose unsalted.

Unsalted butter is the expected norm in all types of baked goods and pastries.  There are a few reasons why unsalted butter is the best baking ingredient, such as flavor, texture, and freshness.

Taste

Unsalted and salted butter taste quite different from each other, believe it or not.

The amount of salt used in butter varies from brand to brand, and you can never be sure how much sodium each brand’s stick of butter actually contains. Some taste slightly salty, while others taste salty.

For example, Kerry Gold has about 50 milligrams of salt, while Land O’Lakes has 95 milligrams and Horizon a whopping 115 milligrams. Depending on the brand you use, your cookies will be greatly affected by this salt content.

Since the level of salt varies from brand to brand, it’s best to use unsalted crackers, as you can control the use of salt much more easily.

Although cookies are meant to be sweet, they need salt to achieve the desired flavor (all desserts need it!)

However, as a baker, you want to be able to control that level of salt as much as possible. 

Texture

Another difference between salted and unsalted butter is its texture, which can also affect how your cookies turn out.

Compared to unsalted, salted butter has a much higher water content, which is bad for baking . Water in butter can range from 10-18%, with salted butter usually being on the higher side of this scale.

Excess water in butter affects both its texture and, above all, the cookies you make.

Excess water in butter prevents gluten from forming properly and affects the texture of your baked goods.

Thus, your cookies become flat, too crumbly or too hard. More often than not, the butter is to blame.

One thing to keep in mind is that you won’t be able to tell how much water is in each butter, as there is no indicator or warning on the packaging. However, unsalted butter tends to always have less water, making it the safest option.

Freshness

The last reason why unsalted butter should be used over salted is for the quality of freshness: unsalted butter tends to be much fresher. 

Since salt acts as a natural preservative, salted butter can last much longer on supermarket shelves. Of course, you always have to look at the expiration date, but unsalted is a safer bet when looking for the freshest option.

Although it can be hard to tell when consuming raw butter, the level of freshness of the butter can affect the outcome of your cookies.

How to use salted butter to bake cookies

We realize that unsalted butter isn’t always an option, and for a number of reasons.

Maybe you don’t want to make an extra trip to the store and the salty is all you have, maybe you’ve run out of unsalted, or maybe you’re trying to shop a few days before Thanksgiving and they only have salted butter in stock. .

In any case, while unsalted butter should be your first choice for cookies, there’s still a way to use salted butter in your recipes if you’re in a pinch.

The general rule of thumb is that for every ½ cup of unsalted butter called for in the recipe, subtract ¼ teaspoon of salt. 

For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon of salt, you would use 1 cup of salted butter and ½ teaspoon of salt (because you subtracted ¼ teaspoon for every ½ cup).

Now this trick also works for recipes that call for salted butter instead of unsalted. The general rule of thumb is that for every 1 cup of unsalted butter you ask for, add ¼ teaspoon of salt.

For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of salted butter and 1 teaspoon of salt, you would use 1 cup of unsalted butter and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt (because you added ¼ teaspoon for every ½ cup).

The most important thing is to always use the amount of butter called for in the recipe and simply adjust the salt (either add or subtract).

The amount of butter you use will greatly affect the texture, which cannot be fixed like salt.

When to use salted butter instead of unsalted butter

As for salted butter, we want to make it very clear that it makes an absolutely delicious addition to your baked goods and cookies… right after you’ve baked them.

You should use salted butter as a seasoning rather than a baking ingredient.

This means you should use salted butter for your toast, muffins, scones, or treats like banana or zucchini bread. You can even add a tablespoon to your morning oatmeal for a rich and delicious taste.

So when it comes to traditional cookie recipes, like chocolate, peanut butter, or sugar, you should stick to the unsalted ones.

However, some specialty recipes, such as salted caramel cookies or salted chocolate cookies, may use salted butter in their recipes. This is because they want their cookies to taste overwhelmingly salty.

However, more often than not, these recipes also include more sugar to balance out the salt content. So try to stick as closely as possible to what the recipe calls for.

What about the choice between softened/melted/cold butter?

There’s nothing more frustrating than starting a cookie recipe and realizing you need room temperature butter but yours is ice cold.

If you’ve ever tried using cold butter instead of soft, or soft butter instead of melted, you probably know what a mess that can be.

Although using salted butter instead of unsalted can affect your cookies, nothing affects your cookies more than using the wrong butter temperature or texture.

It will mostly affect the texture, and things like the flaking, softness, and doughiness of a cookie, which can be a big problem!

For example, chewy chocolate cookies should not be the same consistency as the sugar cookies you plan to decorate.

Each butter temperature does a different job in these cookies, and each has a place in certain cookie recipes.

softened butter

You’ll find that most cookie recipes out there call for you to use softened or “room temperature” butter.

This is when your butter can still stand on its own, but falls into itself with a light touch.

It can be easily mixed and creamed, but still has a thicker consistency. Softened butter tends to produce cookies that are more cake-like and less chewy. Peanut butter cookies, for example, use softened butter. 

Melted butter

Melted butter is exactly what it sounds like: butter that is melted but not boiled or browned.

The melted butter will be hot and still the bright yellow color we are used to, but only a little darker.

Melted butter actually produces the most gluten from butter temperatures, making for a gooey and chewy cookie.

Many chocolate cookie recipes use melted butter because it produces a sticky, almost caramelized texture to the cookie. 

If you cook the cookies right away (so the butter is still a bit warm in the dough), you can expect the cookies to be a bit thin and flat.

cold butter

Cold butter is not used very often in cookie recipes. Most often you will see it in pie crusts or other pastry recipes.

However, if you use cold butter, you can expect the cookie to be more flaky. This is because the cold butter is distributed in pockets throughout the cookie. 

Traditional shortbread cookies, which closely resemble puff pastry, for example, use cold butter.

Related questions

Now that we’ve gone over the difference between salted and unsalted butter, let’s look at some related questions!

Can I use ghee instead of butter in cookie recipes?

Ghee is clarified butter, which means it is a form of butter that is free of lactose, the milk solids.

Ghee is made by simmering butter at an extremely low temperature and skimming off the foam (which is the milk solids) on top.

The result is a shiny, golden liquid, slightly darker than a traditional stick of butter. Ghee is also much thinner and melts more easily than traditional butter and has a higher smoke point. 

Because it is so similar to butter, ghee can be used in place of butter in cookie recipes.

Most of the time, you can use ghee in a 1:1 ratio to butter. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Ghee has a much nuttier flavor than butter, and it will most likely show up in your biscuits. It won’t be overwhelming, but you will definitely notice it.

The texture of ghee is different from butter, so the texture of your cookies may be affected as well. The butter is what helps make the cookies flaky, while the ghee can make them a bit tougher.

The texture of ghee is also much wetter than butter, so the dough might be too wet. You may have to adjust the flour and/or any other liquid you include in the cookie recipe. 

However, if you’re lactose intolerant and can handle ghee, it’s a great substitute for your biscuits.

Can I use margarine to replace butter in cookie recipes?

The only fat to avoid if you’re looking for a butter substitute is margarine.

Margarine is made with a mixture of water and another fat, but in the form of an oil, such as canola, palm, or vegetable, and with additives and preservatives.

These types of ingredients will wreak havoc on your desserts. Adding them to your desserts can affect the texture, flavor, and their ability to rise and hold their shape.

It may look like butter, but the texture and flavor of margarine can’t compare to the rich and delicious food that butter is.

Why do desserts need salt?

If you’re still curious as to why anyone would even think of salted butter, let alone salt, in their cookie recipes, don’t worry, we’ve got an answer for you.

Believe it or not, salt is the secret weapon that makes desserts so wonderfully addictive. Desserts can be excessively sweet and almost inedible without the presence of salt.

Salt and sugar go hand in hand and balance each other out. Adding salt to your desserts actually enhances the flavors and sweetness of your dessert recipes.

Adding salt to a lemon bar, for example, will help that citrus flavor shine through. Or including salt in your cinnamon rolls will make the cinnamon stand out that much more.