A biscuit or cookie made with butter is undesirably squatter than one made with a solid animal fat such as lard. Reason is because butter melts before the oven's heat can set a biscuit or cookie mixture, which allows the cooking item to spread. Solid animal fat does not prematurely render, resulting in taller and more visually inviting biscuits and cookies. Moreover, solid animal fat better aerates the cooking mixture, making the biscuit or cookie lighter and fluffier. Yet another advantage of solid animal fat over butter is the ease with which the former is incorporated into the flour before the liquid ingredient is added.

** Asian Recipes **