'Shortening' here in England?

I was under the impression that butter would make your cookies more brown when when baking. 

I'm not so sure about that but I find that if I use just butter in my cookies they tend to be too rich and become rather greasy and flat so I use 1/2 shortening (usually Trex) and 1/2 butter.  For my cakes it's always 100% butter though.

Fair point.  When I use butter, it's usually a combination of the two.

I'm not so sure about that but I find that if I use just butter in my cookies they tend to be too rich and become rather greasy and flat so I use 1/2 shortening (usually Trex) and 1/2 butter.  For my cakes it's always 100% butter though.

ditto this. I only do the half and half thing with my chocolate chip cookies though. that recipe calls for all butter or margarine. I find using all butter makes them too brown and crisp.

ditto this. I only do the half and half thing with my chocolate chip cookies though. that recipe calls for all butter or margarine. I find using all butter makes them too brown and crisp.

The easy way to make them less brown and crisp is just take them out a few minutes earlier!! I don't care for crunchy cookies so I always do them a little underdone and chewy.