Can I use some self-rising flour with my cookie bars?
Self-rising flour already contains levening (baking powder, essentially) and some salt, so cut that from your recipie to avoid any problems. If you’re thinking that will make them taste better, it won’t. But as long as you compensate for the levening that’s already included in the flour, you won’t ruin your cookies in any way. As far as vanilla goes, the artificial stuff is made of some rather questionable stuff, and I wouldn’t use it. Try “baker’s vanilla” if you’d like to try something new. That’s more of a gel than the extract, but still made from real vanilla. But if you have pure vanilla extract available — I’d go with that. For lubricating the pan, I’d recommend a spray or just some shortening. Butter has a tendency to burn (although it certainly has a good taste) but you can also use butter in the cookie batter to get that. Margerine is more or less shortening with special flavorings and coloring. I honestly can’t tell you the last time I used it for anything — or even had any
