The Quick Way To Soften Butter By Hand In A Pinch

When a recipe like a blueberry-lavender coffee cake or chocolate chip cookies calls for softening butter, it's kind of an annoyance, especially if you are baking or cooking on the fly. You know you should never soften butter in the microwave or you will end up with a mess that is half liquid, half squishy solid. However, if you wait for it to warm up to room temperature on its own, it can take as much as 45 minutes. Neither is optimal and it may have you wondering, what is the best way to soften butter? Luckily, there's a hack that can help speed up the process so you can get to cooking and you don't need any appliances or fancy gadgets — just your hands and a plastic sandwich bag.

Simply put your stick of butter in the plastic bag, making sure to get out all of the air before you close it. Then use your fingers and squeeze, pinch, and mash it. The heat from your hands will help it to soften naturally, and because you are smashing and mashing it, you are going to end up getting right to the core of the butter stick. Because butter is a solid fat, it is imperative that you soften it and not try and bake with a cold stick or your batters will not be smooth, which will ruin the texture of your frosting, cakes, and breads.