If you are interested in cutting back on the amount of cholesterol you are using while baking, you might consider switching out butter for extra virgin olive oil instead. While
My Olive Tree’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Northern Israel is light and full of delicate flavor; our Northern Israel oil is perfect for salad dressings, marinades, or as a hummus topping! It mixes well with the spices of your choice leaving you with a smooth and well-balanced flavor.
the texture and flavor of your foods that you bake might change slightly, doing this can be a really good option for the health-conscious baker.
Most of the time, you’ll only want to substitute for olive oil when you’re baking items that do not rely on the butter to give a specific flavor or loft to the batter. You can use your best judgment in this regard, but one example of a treat that can be great with olive oil as a substitute is shortbread cookies.
You’ll want to make sure that the olive oil that you use has a mild flavor so that it does not overpower the other flavors in your food. It should be labeled as “pure,” “extra virgin” or “light” (light as in flavor, not caloric count). This will make sure that you can at least limit the flavor differences that you get from removing butter from the equation.
Also, you will need to slightly change up the amount of olive oil that you’re using. For example, if you’re using a cup of butter, you can’t just change to a cup of olive oil and expect the same results. Here’s a conversion chart from cooking author Carol Firenze that you can refer to should you decide to substitute olive oil into your baking:
| Butter | Olive oil |
| 1 teaspoon | ¾ teaspoon |
| 1 tablespoon | 2 ¼ teaspoons |
| ¼ cup | 3 tablespoons |
| 1/3 cup | ¼ cup |
| ½ cup | ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons |
| 2/3 cup | ½ cup |
| ¾ cup | ½ cup + 1 tablespoon |
| 1 cup | ¾ cup |
Some people also choose to substitute coconut oil rather than olive oil, as it can more easily mimic the texture you get from butter for pies or other desserts. However, olive oil is still more likely to be the healthier option.
Place your order of extra virgin olive oil from My Olive Tree today, and the next time you bake a delicious treat you can try this substitution tactic for yourself and judge the results!
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a partnership between the Evangelical community and the nation of Israel; this partnership will produce employment, income, and revenue for humanitarian aid projects in Israel. We envision the planting of one-million olive trees over the next seven years. This relationship was prophesied in the Bible centuries ago, that the foreigners and strangers (those not of Jewish descent) would help rebuild the walls of Israel and cause the desert to bloom (Isa 35:1). Among other things, this reforestation is an environmental blessing for the entire region. May all who participate in this project be blessed body, soul and spirit; it is time for you to take root in Israel!