One point on the issue of shortening - butter is always the healthier alternative. Don't buy into the idea that non-hydrogenated shortening is somehow healthier; it isn't. In fact, any and all shortenings are loaded with chemicals (such as the butter flavoring) and rancid oils.

The oils are rancid because they have been processed. Fully-hydrogenated oils are monounsaturated oils that have been subjected to intense heat, light, and hydrogen gas to become a fully hydrogenated (and thus fully saturated) oil. It is extremely unhealthy. All other shortenings are typically a form of processed polyunsaturated oil, and polyunsaturates are notorious for turning rancid at even low temperatures. Subject these oils to the intense heat of baking, and you have a carcinogenic mess on your hands. And when you combine those rancid oils with all the sugar found in baked goods, it's a recipe for disaster.

Butter, on the other hand, may be a saturated fat, however, it is also the food highest in vitamins A, E, D and K. Also, because of the saturation, butter withstands heat better than any shortening, creating less carcinogenic biproducts.

When in doubt, always go with whole foods rather than processed foods.