What is a good butter substitute?

Answer 1

That depends on what you're making. If you're baking, I wouldn't risk a substitution. Baking is very precise, there is a delicate balance of ingredients in order to achieve the desired chemical processes and the right result. If you need a substitute for butter in a COOKING recipe, say for a sauce, or to pan fry vegetables, that's different. You could probably substitute margarine, Smart Balance, or a light and tasteless oil.

Answer 2

It really depends on what you are making. In some cakes, yes you can sub out butter for oil. I would suggest using a light olive oil, because it's the only oil that contains emulsifiers which will give you a nice tender cake. Usually it's 3 parts oil to 4 parts butter (so...3/4 cup of oil in a recipe that calls for 1 cup of butter)

Most people say you will get a denser cake with oil, but honestly, I have a Lemon cake I make with whole wheat flour, yogurt, eggs, EVOO and sugar, baking powder, and it's got a wonderful light texture.

I'm not sure about cookies - You may want to Google some vegan cookie recipes and give them a try. The butter gives cookies that crisp edge, and solid shortening gives them a wonderful tender texture. In cookies, you could probably sub out butter flavored Crisco for butter. You could also use applesauce, but the cookie may be more cake like if you do.