Salted Butter, Unsalted Butter, Margarine - OH MY

I've been asked many times if I use REAL butter when I bake or if margarine is just as good.  I have a very simple answer - butter is better!  Sorry margarine, you're just not delicious enough in my baking.   I'm not sure if it's the consistency or flavour of margarine, but it just doesn't cut it.  Butter adds a level of deliciousness that can't be beat!

So on to the salted versus unsalted butter.  I know that bakers around the world would gasp, but I usually use salted butter even when it specifically calls for unsalted butter.  To compensate, I just use a pinch of the salt that the recipe calls for, and not the full dosage.  Why do I use salted butter instead of unsalted?  Well, I often bake on the fly and usually don't have unsalted butter on hand.  BUT, I do use unsalted butter with finicky recipes like pastry or shortbread.  I'm not completely foolish when it comes to the science of baking ... but I like to cut a couple of corners whenever I can get away with it.

If you decide to use unsalted butter, you can get it at most grocery stores and will often find it in the freezer section.  This is because it gets moldy without salt to preserve it.  Whether you bought it frozen or not, be sure to stick your unsalted butter in the freezer if you don't plan to use it soon, or you'll discover something pretty gross the next time you go to use it.

In the end, it's really up to you.  But that's my opinion on butter and its artificial cousin margarine.  Up next on my cupcake list, the refreshing Mint Chocolate Cupcake.