Some recipes are just not meant for this swap. If you’re making something that relies on a strong chemical reaction—like a buttermilk biscuit or a classic banana bread—stick to the script. Baking soda neutralizes acids, which gives you that tender crumb. Baking powder might leave a weirdly soapy taste if you use too much, and nobody wants a muffin that tastes like they licked a bar of hotel soap.
Also, if your recipe has no acidic ingredients (like a basic sugar cookie), baking powder is actually the safer bet. But if you’re replacing baking soda with baking powder in a high-acid recipe, you’re basically double-dipping on bubbles. Your cookies might balloon up like a pufferfish in defense mode, then collapse into sad, greasy disks.
