Best Ways to use Coconut Oil in cooking

Best Ways to use Coconut Oil in cooking

1. Baked goods

Because it tolerates high temperatures, coconut oil is a notable substitute for butter, shortening, or other vegetable oils in Paleo-worthy baked good recipes. Scones, cupcakes, muffins, brownies, and cookies will have a lightness that you just can’t get with butter.

Since it’s solid at room temperature, coconut oil needs to be melted before use in most baking. To do so, simply place the jar in a bowl or pan with very hot water and let sit for a few minutes. 

If mixing it with any cold ingredients, be sure to stir the oil in quickly so that it doesn’t solidify and make clumps. In its solid form, coconut oil works brilliantly as a dairy-free option in recipes where you cut solid butter or shortening into dry ingredients, such as with pie crusts.

Generally you can substitute coconut oil one-for-one with butter or other oils in baking recipes, although you may want to add an extra dash or two of any liquid your recipe calls for to compensate for the extra moisture that butter lends to baked goods. You can also substitute half the butter for coconut oil to limit any coconut flavor.

2. Granola

Embrace your inner hippie and bake up batches of homemade granola using coconut oil, which lends an irresistible aroma to your oats and nuts. While some vegetable and nut oils oxidize at high temperatures, resulting in “off” flavors and potentially fewer health benefits, coconut oil can stand the blast furnace that is your oven unscathed.

3. Roasted vegetables

The next time you’re roasting a batch of hearty winter vegetables such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, or rutabaga, try tossing them with a mixture of coconut oil, lemon juice, thyme or rosemary, salt, and pepper for an appealing hint of coconut.

4. Popcorn

Those kernels pop so beautifully when dropped into a pan with a spoonful of coconut oil, this fat may just be the best thing to happen to popcorn since the microwave.

5. Nut butters

Break out the food processor and grind together 2 cups nuts such as almonds, pecans, or cashews with 2 tablespoons coconut oil until smooth and buttery. Since you can customize each batch by adding honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, flax seed, or even ground coffee, you may just never buy peanut butter again.

6. Mayo

If a season of Top Chef has you itching to embrace your inner Julia Child, try whirling up your own mayonnaise. But for a twist, pour in half olive oil and half melted coconut oil.