How to Quickly Soften Butter

Sure, you can use a microwave to soften butter, but it's easy to quickly go from softened to butter puddle! To soften butter quickly, unwrap a stick of butter, place it in a resealable plastic bag, and use a rolling pin to beat and flatten the butter out.

When you forget to soften butter for cookies or other baking recipes, here's another simple technique to soften it quickly. Place the cold butter in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, then pulse until it’s soft enough to use.