I never use shortening for anything. This includes recipes that call for shortening. Instead I use either unsalted butter (most products) or coconut oil. Real butter is what makes many products go from good to great.
One of the other musts to use is REAL vanilla made with the bourbon vanilla bean. Real vanilla extract an be expensive although very affordable if you make your own. The beans can be reused several times and then the spent vanilla beans can be used to flavor ice cream and other products.
To make your own high quality vanilla:
To 80 proof Vodka, add one or more bourbon vanilla beans that have been split down the middle (leaving one end attached) Shake once or twice a week (or more) for at least a couple of weeks before using. Add more vodka as you use the vanilla.
Flour is important. I prefer King Arthur Flour although there are many very good flours on the market. It is important to choose the correct flour for the purpose: cake flour for cakes, bread flour for yeast breads, and all purpose for most other uses. I think it is important to use unbleached flour as it is a better flavor and is also much healthier.
I use bakers (fine) sugar for every recipe that calls for white sugar. It makes for a finer, less grainy, texture in most products.
One ingredient that is almost always overlooked is brown sugar. C & H brown sugar is pure cane sugar. Many store brands are white sugar with beet molasses added or it is white sugar with some cane molasses added. The ingredient list will state whether it is pure cane sugar or if it is cane sugar with beet molasses added. You can tell the difference by rubbing the sugar in between your fingers. Pure cane brown sugar is solid brown. Other brown sugar is white sugar with a molasses coating. Always use light brown sugar unless the recipe calls for dark brown sugar.
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