Can you picture this? You’re in the kitchen, gathering the ingredients to make cookies. You look and see softened butter is one of the ingredients and all of your butter is in the refrigerator. Probably 1 in 15 times I remember to pull the butter out an hour early and let it soften perfectly but the other 14 times I have to do something else. Everyone has their trick for softening butter quickly – here’s mine.
Anyone who bakes knows that melted butter is no replacement for softened butter. It completely changes your recipe. If you’ve ever placed a whole stick of butter in the microwave then I’m sure you’ve also experience a half softened/half melted stick of butter. Good enough? Maybe. But I’m picky about my cookies so I take one extra step and I get nearly perfect softened butter.
Here’s the trick. I slice the butter in 1-tbsp. slices and place them on a plate like this:
Then I microwave it for 23 seconds (I’m sure your microwave will vary a tiny bit). You know it’s perfect when you can stick your finger into them like this but there isn’t any melted butter on the plate:
It doesn’t take more than 30 seconds to slice the butter – there are actually 2 sticks of butter on that plate, and 23 seconds to microwave it. So that means you have softened butter in less than a minute! 
Happy Baking!
Do you have a great tip for softening butter in a hurry?
Why I do what I do ~ I bought some dried apricots recently. It had been a long time since Chloe had eaten them so she’d forgotten what they tasted like. She was very skeptical and it was difficult to get her to take a bite but once she did, she remembered that she loves them. She carried the bag of them around proudly, calling them her “africots.”
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I soften my butter by leaving it on my stove top under the oven vents after I start pre-heating my oven. I get the best results if I chop it into hunks and put it in a glass bowl. I have also been known to microwave a whole stick (if I’m smart I put it on a plate first) for one minute on 20% power.
I am definitely going to try this method. Thanks!
nopinkhere´s last blog ..In Which I Make Slime
good idea, I never thought to slice it first. I’ve been known to overheat a stick or two in the microwave. Honestly, most of the time, I just throw the sticks into my KitchenAid and let it beat the heck out of the butter to soften it. I have a professional series mixer than can handle it, otherwise I wouldn’t recommend that.
lisa´s last blog ..Amaretto Baked Pears with Streusel Filling
Good idea! I will usually microwave it at about 10% power for a minute. That softens it up, but it still holds its shape so I’m not left with half of the melted butter stuck to the plate and not in whatever I’m baking!
Alison@This Wasn’t In The Plan´s last blog ..Trying to Buy His Love
I never thought of reducing the power. I’m definitely trying that!
We don’t have sticks so we’re constantly guesstimating butter amounts. It’s easier for us to guess some into a Pyrex measuring cup and melt it to see how much we have, then add a bit as necessary. My baking isn’t fine-tuned enough for me to see a difference in the result made with melted as opposed to softened butter (those few times I remember to have it out softening).
Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..learning from Jonah
I stick the stick in the microwave with the wrapper on for 10 seconds, then I flip it over and microwave another 10 seconds and keep doing it for all 4 sides. As long as I keep turning it over it doesn’t get melty on any one side and it softens evenly for me