Hello: Flo Braker has a recipe for a white chocolate glaze in her book Sweet Miniatures. It is just white chocolate, unsalted butter and a small amount of vegetable shortening. Could someone tell me what that veg shortening is for and if it would be okay to leave it out? My assumption is that it is to help “set” the glaze, but if I can skip it I’d rather.
Thanks so much

Without seeing the ratios, I’m guessing it’s just to keep the chocolate fluid enough to flow over whatever you’re glazing.  Usually veg shortening or oil in chocolate helps to keep it workable if you’re dipping or coating, which is why I’m guessing it’s in this formula.

What’s the objection to the vegetable shortening?  I ask because you might be able to sub something else (like cocoa butter, maybe even coconut oil) get the same effect.

Thanks for the reply Jeanne. Vegetable shortening is something I never use so I was reluctant to buy an entire container for just a small amount in a recipe. I didn’t write out the recipe since I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to, but here it is anyway. 4 oz butter, 1 tablespoon shortening, 8 oz white chocolate.  The glaze is indeed supposed to be poured over the mini cakes to coat them. I do have coconut oil. Do you think that would work instead? BTW, I have an excellent chocolate chip cookie recipe which calls for 1/2 butter and
1/2 shortening, but I always just use all butter. I’ve never thought about how it might be different if I actually followed the written recipe.

You can definitely sub some vegetable oil (or another tastless oil) for the shortening, maybe just 2 teaspoons would be enough. Or the coconut oil.

For the cookie, the shortening gives a softer texture when combined with the butter; you may notice less spreading during baking as well. I would buy those brick things of shortening for the cookie and do give it a try; you will notice a difference than when you us all butter.

Thanks again Jeanne. I’ll try the coconut oil for the glaze. The cake itself is almond, so a little coconut flavor in the glaze seems like a good match.
For the cookie, I’ll definitely try it also. A couple of questions though. I believe Spectrum makes a vegetable shortening available in a tub without the “unpronounceable” ingredients added. Would there be anything wrong with trying that instead? Is there something about the brick style that you are particularly recommending?

I’ve only ever seen vegetable shortening in big containers but I know they come in smaller “blocks” (like the blocks of butter) so if you didn’t want to get the big container, the blocks are a good way to go.  But even with the blocks, they go rancid before I use them all (because I don’t use it all that often!)!  But the tub sounds like a small enough amount to use.  The texture of the cookies will be softer, less brittle than compared to using all butter.  I’d be willing to guess you can use coconut oil with that too….

many many thanks…

If you are in Canada you can use Crisco. It comes in 1 Lb blocks as well as 3 Lb containers. I wouldn’t be without it - nothing beats it for greasing pans (no sticking!), especially those fancy Bundts, and Ialways use half butter half shortening for pie crusts. Are you frosting little Petit Fours? I have always loved them but never found a pour on icing that tasted decent. So I always end up covering them laboriously one by one with nice rich buttercream LOL… Let me know how it turns out!!