I'm a Motown, pre-1975 rock 'n roll, granola kind of girl. I don't bake much — I've already owned up to keeping storebought pie crust in my refrigerator — but oooooh, baby, I love love love granola cookies, and that's why vegetable shortening resides in The Perfect Pantry.
A solid fat made from vegetable oils, such as soybean and cotton seed oil, shortening has been chemically transformed into a solid state through a process called hydrogenation.
Why use shortening in baking? Shortening melts at a higher temperature than butter, so cookie dough holds its shape longer in the oven, allowing the flour and eggs to set before the cookie collapses and spreads. Using butter or margarine (which has a melting point only a degree or two above butter) produces a cookie that spreads out more. Vegetable shortening is ideal for pastry, too, since it blends well with the flour.
I never mastered the art of using measuring cups to extract shortening from the can, so I'm a huge fan of Crisco vegetable shortening sticks. Wowie zowie...they're mess-proof and easy to use, and allow for more exact measuring. Shortening can be stored at room temperature, but once I've opened the package, I usually keep it in the fridge, and return it to room temperature before using.
By the way, there are good reasons to limit consumption of hydrogenated oils and the trans fat that has been proven to wreak havoc on serum cholesterol. If you're a frequent baker, you might check at your market for Spectrum Naturals' organic shortening, free of hydrogenated oils and trans fat.
GRANOLA COOKIES
Here's a blast from the sixties! Makes 4 dozen.
2 cups unsifted unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups granola (I use Quaker Natural with raisins, but any granola-type cereal will work)
1/2 cup golden raisins, optional (if, like me, you really like raisins)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt on wax paper, and stir to blend. Cream shortening and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Stir in blended dry ingredients, granola and raisins. Mix well.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or until dough is firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let stand for a minute or two, then transfer to cooling rack.
I have a stick of Crisco left from the mincemeat cookie recipe I shared with the Wed. Lunch Group. Now I'll have to try this granola recipe.
Posted by: Pauline | July 13, 2006 at 07:10 AM
I haven't made these cookies in a while, but just writing about them made my mouth water. Enjoy!
Posted by: lydia | July 13, 2006 at 09:29 AM
I just read that Crisco has introduced a zero trans fat shortening, but it is not yet widely available.
See Boston Globe article: http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2006/07/19/going_back_to_lard_for_old_time_pies/
Posted by: Anna | July 21, 2006 at 01:38 PM
Anna, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. Thanks for sending the article. I'll look for this in the market.
Posted by: lydia | July 21, 2006 at 02:19 PM