The pros call it “flavor insurance.”
Most recipes call for unsalted, and when Im developing my own, I follow that rule by habit.
Suddenly, I started seeing salted butter all over the place.
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Baking expert Chadwick Boyd calls for it in hisGreek Yogurt BiscuitsandChamomile Coconut Cakerecipes.
According to Seneviratne, Its the secret to the best cookies of your life.
These days, when butter is remarkably dependable, thats not a worry.
Starting at a baseline of zero salt in the butter means we can control the saltinessor lack thereof.
Seneviratne says it comes down to one word: flavor.
Salted butter is more delicious.
Wouldnt you rather eat seasoned food?
Its like cooking with wine.
They say to use what you would like to drink for the best results.
I think that applies to butter too.
In her bookJustine Cooks,Doiron calls salted butter flavor insurance.
Sheehan agrees, saying that baked goods are often under salted.
It’s because I dont want them to taste flat.
Salt pops flavor, including chocolate, vanilla, and fruit.
But does that mean that even if your recipe calls for unsalted butter, its okay to use salted?
), salted butter actually works better.
I love it in recipes where the flavor of the butter itself comes through at the end.
Think shortbread, sugar andchocolate chip cookies, and pound cakes and butter cakes.
Sheehan agrees, adding that its also fantastic in pie dough and cookie crumb crusts.
As for which bang out of butter, both are fans of salted European butters like Kerrygold.
European butters have more fat, and thus more flavor, than most American butters.
In the end, any throw in of buttersalted or unsalted, American or Europeanwill be just fine.
Were talking cookies here, not brain surgery.
