When can mayo replace butter in baked goods?
When you break it down to its roots, you could see why it makes sense in baking.
The mayo will fulfill its duties and lend plenty of moisture and richness to the finished dish.
Nothing else will do.
This is because butter plays several important roles in a lot of recipes.
In shortbread cookiesand many other high-ratio, butter-forward cookiesit accomplishes all three of those jobs.
Mayonnaise cannot be used for butter inviennoiserieeither.
Ditto when making danish dough and puff pastry.
Butter provides a necessary reaction in recipes where the butter is manipulated to create layers in the dough.
When it evaporates, a butter-coated air pocket is left in its wake.
Sorry mayo, but butters got you beat there.
The butter gets worked into the flour of theseshort doughsand prevents the flour from absorbing too much water.
This, combined with plenty of small butter pockets, is what gives flaky dough its flake.
Mayonnaise isnt a saturated fat that can be manipulated the way butter can.
Instead of creating pockets, the mayo will just blend into the dough.
When I told him they were made with mayo, and I could see his panic synapses begin firing.
He tasted one and quickly relaxed, pleasantly stunned.
(Honestly, same.)
But here we are.
Mayonnaise Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Makes 1 dozen cookies.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
In a separate small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and sugar together until combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the sugar-mayo mixture and mix until almost combined.
Add the chopped walnuts and chocolate.
Scoop tablespoon sized mounds onto the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.
Cool, and enjoy the tastiest mayonnaise cookies youve had, maybe ever.
This recipe can be doubled, if desired.
