How to adjust the ingredients when recipe asks for salted peanuts and unsalted butter while I have the opposite?

Question

The recipe is for cookies. Recipe asks for salted peanuts and unsalted butter while I have the unsalted peanuts and salted butter.

• Nutralite Table spread: http://www.nutralite.com/about_nutralite.htm#link2
• Amul butter: http://www.amul.com/products/amul-tablebutter-info.php

What should I increase and decrease here to balance out the mixture?

Answer 1

Using the information from the links you provided and the information found at the Planter's Nuts website (your mileage will vary depending on brand...) and little math (for the peanut's sodium per 100g) we learn that per 100g of each ingredient the sodium content is:

• Nutralite: 786mg/100g
• Amul: 836mg/100g
• Salted Peanuts: 430mg/100g

If the recipe calls for (using the Amul):

• 4 cups of salted peanuts(@150g/cup => 600g peanuts => 2500mg sodium) and
• 2 tablespoons of butter (@14g/tablespoon => 28g butter => 234mg sodium)

So, loosing 2500mg sodium from the peanuts and only recouping 234mg sodium we need to add 2266 mg of sodium...now, sodium is only about 40% of salt...meaning that we need 5.6 grams of salt...at 6.375g/teaspoon means we should add about a teaspoon of salt.

Mathematically, this 'makes sense', however given that the peanuts are probably to be added at the end I would suggest salting the peanuts directly and then mixing the peanuts(with the salt added) as directed. The process of creaming the butter may distribute the salt a little differently in the mix. I would suggest starting with 3/4 teaspoon of salt then adjusting taste.

Answer 2

to be honest, I use salted butter in all my baking, no matter what the recipe says. I would lightly salt the peanuts, and just use salted butter. i find that generally salted butter is not really salty enough to make that much of a noticeable difference.