How to Soften Butter for Baking – Quickly!
Did you forget to take the butter out of the refrigerator before starting a recipe? See how to quickly soften butter for baking.
Did you just get everything you need out to start baking your favorite cookies and then read the words, softened butter and die a little inside? Those are some terrible words for a baker who keeps her butter in the fridge. Don’t you worry, I’m here to show you how to soften butter for baking and it’s easy and super quick!
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Why recipes call for softened butter
The instructions for most baked recipes begin with creaming room temperature or softened butter with sugar.
Creaming the softened butter and sugar together forms the base of your baked goods. Blending combines the ingredients, and adds a bit of air is incorporated into the mixture. The air helps make your cookies and cakes light and fluffy.
If the butter is too soft, it can’t hold air while creaming. It may even dissolve the sugar, which will change the texture of your cookies. If the butter is too hard, it isn’t pliable enough to blend or retain air.
The easiest way to soften butter is to remove it from the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before beginning your recipe. Of course, this depends on your climate. We keep our house cooler in the winter, so it can take longer. Ideal creaming temperature is between 65ËšF and 70ËšF.
I’m a firm believer that no one should have to wait to eat cookies just because their butter is all hard. Never fear! I’m here to save the day!
I’m going to teach you my trick to quickly soften butter, and trust me, I’ve forgotten to take the butter out early practically every time I’ve ever baked anything, so I’m a bit of an expert. I even forgot to take it out when I showed you all how to make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!
Don’t you dare turn to that microwave, it’s not your friend today. Softening butter in a microwave heats it unevenly and you’ll get some bits that are rock hard and some bits that are liquefied. Your cookies will be very sad if you do this to them. Just say no.
Instead, follow these simple instructions to soften butter for baking:
How to Soften Butter
Don’t you just hate it when you’re dying to make some cookies but all your butter is rock hard?! These tips will show you how to soften butter quickly for all your baking needs!
What you’ll need to soften your butter:
Your rock hard butter (learn how to make butter in your mixer here!)
A zipper bag that your rock hard butter will fit into
A rolling pin (I use a French Rolling Pin, it’s amazing, no more popped out handles!)
Steps to soften butter:
Step 1: Take wrapping off butter
Step 2: Place butter in bag and seal it shut, make an effort to get any air out before sealing it.
Step 3: Proceed to beat the bloody hell out of it with your rolling pin.
Step 4: Smash it! Roll it! Jab it! Pinch it! Smush it! Pull its hair! Wait…no.
When you’ve managed to beat your butter into oblivion, it should be nice and soft and pliable. Rip open that plastic bag and dump your butter into your baking vessel. Congratulate yourself on a job well done and finish those cookies! I’m hungry!
What tricks to you use to soften butter before baking?
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Thank you for this info, the rock hard butter has stopped me from baking many times, this will be very helpful.
You’re welcome, Elsa! Glad to be a help, thanks for stopping by, we hope you return! 🙂
Your idea is a good one, except how much butter is left on the bag? I just use my food processor and grate the butter into little flakes. (I keep my baking butter in the freezer) It is rock hard. A few seconds in the food processor it is done. I have been known to do the cookies in the processor, at least the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla part. Then just add to the dry parts of the recipe.
Hi Roxie,
That’s a great idea! I’ll have to try that some time. I get frustrated with using my food processor for sticky things because clean up is so difficult when you don’t have a dishwasher. When I use this method to soften butter I usually grab a rubber spatula and scrape all the butter off the inside of the bag, it works really well. Thanks for stopping by!
If you don’t have a dishwasher I agree that a food processor is not easy to clean. But other than the blade of the processor it is little more than a bowl. I just don’t like to throw something away. (the bag) I see the landfills in our area are too full already without adding some plastic bags to it. That is just my hated waste idea. I live in a part of Texas that is very much into the reuse and recycle of all things.
I could have used this idea an hour ago!
Here’s an idea though…instead of throwing away the ziplock bag, or worry about scraping it out COMPLETLEY, pop the mostly scraped out bag in the freezer. Then, if you need to do this again, bring out the bag and butter and whack away!
OR if you need to butter and flour a pan, turn this inside out with your hand, and have a go at the cake pan!
BRILLIANT!! I love it. I’m totally going to do this next time I soften butter!
Haha! I loved your description of this process. Good idea too. I will try this next time I need a cookie or have a lot of built up frustration.
Thanks Janet! It just so happens that this is a the perfect cure for pent up frustration! That, and eating the resulting cookies, of course.
Great tip, Meredith! I cannot tell you how many times I could have used it in the past! Thanks for sharing.
Love it! I always resort to the microwave, but this looks more fun 🙂
It’s definitely more fun, and a great way to get out that pent up stress! 🙂
What an entertaining, short and to the point read- I LOVED it! Thanks for sharing this idea! 🙂
Visiting via the Backyard Farming Connection Hop,
Erin
http://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com
Thanks, Erin! I’m so glad you liked it!! I’m looking forward to checking out your blog, thanks for sharing it!
Love this simple idea! Thanks for sharing at The Gathering Spot. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks Diane! I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m looking forward to checking out your pasta salad recipe. It’s making me miss summertime!
Thanks for sharing your tip at Wildcrafting Wednesday!
Bloody brilliant! I’m so proud! hahaha.. I tend to keep about a third of a bar or so in the cupboard – enough so that when I have toast or pancakes or potatoes or whatever, I can smear it on but have DEFINITELY ran into the brick wall that is cold butter when I’ve needed to bake on occasion. Brilliant solution. And anything that lets be beat the crap outta something makes my day better 😉
Thank you so much for linking up with Fresh Food Wednesday! I’m gonna go make sure I’m following you on all your social channels. Have a great week – hope to see you this Wednesday with more fresh food posts! xo, kristy
Thank you thank you! I agree- getting to beat the crap out of it is the best part! I do the same thing with my bread dough, it loves it!
Great idea. I could have used it this morning! (butter a bit melted in the microwave…on 20% power).
Another trick: just pop the used ziplock bag in the freezer for using next time you need to soften butter this way. Can also use the buttered bag to grease and flour a cake pan! (just turn it inside out with your hand on the NON-buttered part.)
Completely Brilliant! 🙂
ImaginTHAT! A year later and I get reminded of how to soften butter sans microwave, a trick I learned at the Culinary Institute of America in 2003! Thanks for the dope-slap, Meredith.
Just pop your cold butter into room temperature water and you will have room temperature butter in no time.