can i use butter instead of the lard/shortening?

I would definitely defer to her, thanks! Will check and see how it worked, very curious now...

mrslarkin answered on the recipe page that she thinks it would work.

Butter will give an entirely different flavor, not the intended flavor. Stick with Crisco.

I would say butter is probably not an ideal sub. Coconut oil may be a better like-for-like match, but of course it will impart a slightly different flavor.