Baking The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies: Tips & Tricks

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How to Bake Cookies with Margarine

Thanks to FamilyRated and Becel I was able to try their new Becel Plant-Based Unsalted Bricks. I thought it would be a great chance to do some cookie experimentation. You certainly can substitute butter with margarine! Margarine is a good substitute if you are lactose intolerant or if you’re vegan.

How Do I Substitute Butter for Margarine in a Recipe?

To substitute butter for margine, you want to use a 1:1 ratio. For this specific recipe I used 1 cup of Margarine to substitute for 1 cup of Butter. The recipe that I used is the Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe as my base cookie recipe.

What’s the Difference Between Baking Cookies With Margarine vs Baking With Butter?

I immediately noticed a few differences in this recipe when I used butter vs when I used margarine.

1. The cookies didn’t spread as much. I found that my margarine cookies didn’t spread the same way that a cookie made from butter would. I would suggest melting half of your margarine to help combat this depending on your recipe. They’re supposed to spread more when you use margarine because it has water in it. BUT (and don’t quote me), I’m convinced that they changed the formula on the Becel Plant-Based Bricks to make it mimc the structure of butter. I looked the ingredient break down up, and they are made differently from the regular original margarine.
2. The top of my cookies didn’t “melt” in for smoother tops, they came out exactly the same way they looked going into the oven. See Tip #7 below on how to get smooth tops and check out the gallery for the comparison
3. The sweetness! Granted this recipe does not all for salt, but animal fats have more “flavour” than a plant-based product. I normally use unsalted butter, but if you are going to use margarine, I’d actually suggest using the Becel Plant-Based Salted Bricks
   Margarine doesn’t have the same “natural” nutty and salty flavour of butter. Add an extra pinch of salt to your cookies, OR top it with a bit of finishing salt.
4. You’ll get a “wetter” dough since margarine has water in it.

Tips to Bake The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve made many batches of cookies in the past 27 years and I’ve discovered a few tips to perfect the cookies.

1. Make sure your butter or your margarine is soft. That’s one of the bonuses of using margarine vs butter. Margarine is already softer. If you’re using butter, remember to take it out at least an hour or two before. Cut it up into chunks so that there’s less surface area so that it will soften faster
2. Once you add your eggs, you have a higher chance of OVER mixing your dough. Your dough will get tough, and it will change the texture of your cookies when done baking. You can of course use a stand mixer with the paddle (don’t use your whisk), but I like to mix by hand as I can feel the residence and if my dough is becoming difficult to work with
3. Just because a recipe asks for a certain amount of chocolate chips doesn’t mean you have to listen to it. The original recipe called for 4 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips. I halved the recipe because this recipe makes A LOT of cookies. I honestly just eye ball the amount of chocolate chips I have in there. Make sure they’re well incorporated. I used semi sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and butterscotch chips. This recipe is VERY sweet as you can probably see with the addition of so much sugar, and a pudding package. What you put into your cookies allows you to balance the flavour. If your dough recipe is really sweet, go for more “bitter” and “saltier” flavours. I didn’t have any dark chocolate chips on hand.
4. Want uniformed cookies? Use a small ice cream scoop with a great release mechanism. Don’t use a regular scoop unless you want cookies the size of your palm.
5. To get the gorgeous caramelization on the bottoms of your cookies, make sure the dough is touching the pan. Make sure the pans are well greased so that they don’t stick. I used extra margarine to grease my cookies. Surface area matters, and fat matters. If you want an extra touch of unctuousness, grease your pan with salted margarine or salted butter!
6. Turns out the colours of your pans make a difference. The lighter colour of your pans, the lighter colour and more doughy the outside will be, ie less crisp! I learned this while making macaroons. To make the PERFECT crip on the outside, but soft on the inside texture I prefer a darker pan. They get hotter quickly, so you get the crisp while keeping the insides nice and soft. For a better “OVER ALL” cookie, use a Silpat PAN.
7. Margarine cookies will hold their textured tops. If you like a “smooth” look but still want your cookies to be uniformed, scoop the dough out and release it into your palm. Roll the cookies around and you’ll still have cookies the same size, but you’ll get smooth tops.
8. Leave your cookies on the pan for at least 10 minutes after baking. Your cookies will flatten a bit after you take them out of the oven. Leaving them on them on the pan helps promote a nice crisp on the bottom and lets the cookie settle in.
9. Use a wire rack to cool your cookies after they rest. Don’t quote me on this, but I find cookies that rest on the rack afterwards help promote the texture.
10. They’re not “Vegan” or “Plant Based” just because you say so. If you want to make your cookies 100% vegan or plant based, you will need to make sure that all of your products are certified as vegan. Even sugar and “semi-sweet” chocolate chips can be made in non-vegan factories. So be careful of this.
11. Add a Slice of Bread to Keep Cookies From Going Hard and Stale. The cookies will actually draw moisture from the bread and keep them soft.
12. If You Made Too Many Cookies Freeze Them. This cookie recipe is great for freezing! Just take them out about 30-40 minutes before consumption and they’re ready to go

Let me know if you have any questions about baking below in the comments!

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