French patisserie chefs might clutch their pearls, but we’re going to say it: Ghee might actually be better than butter for baking.
Hear us out.
Standard butter is an emulsion: roughly 80% fat, 18% water, and 2% milk solids.
Ghee is 99.9% pure fat.
When you bake cookies or pastries with butter, the water evaporates, creating steam. This can result in a "cakey" texture. When you use ghee, you inhibit the formation of gluten (which needs water to activate). This results in:
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Cookies that are chewier in the centre and crisper on the edges.
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Pastry that is "shorter" and flakier.
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Crumbles that stay crunchy for days.
Because ghee has been slow-simmered, the milk solids caramelise before they are removed. This infuses the fat with distinct toffee, caramel, and nutty notes. Using ghee in a simple shortbread or chocolate chip cookie recipe adds a complexity of flavour that tastes like "brown butter" without the extra effort.
How to Swap:
Because ghee is more concentrated (pure fat), you can use slightly less.
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Rule of thumb: For every 1 cup of butter, use roughly ¾ cup of ghee.
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Tip: If your recipe relies on the coldness of butter (like scones), chill your ghee in the fridge first until it’s solid!
