How many times have you opened a recipe, gathered all your ingredients – and discovered you needed softened butter? For me, it’s more times than you can count. Luckily, getting softened butter doesn’t mean waiting around for an hour – there’s an easier way. With just a bowl, a plate, some water, and your microwave, you can save time with this amazing kitchen hack.
How to soften butter quickly
The Bowl Method: Unwrap your butter, cut it into even slices, and place it on a plate. Add a cup of water into a heatproof bowl, then place in the microwave and heat for 2 minutes until the bowl has started to steam. Take it out and let it sit for 30 seconds. Then, pour away the water, put the warm bowl over the plate with the butter, and leave for ten minutes. The heat from the bowl will soften the butter! If you’re softening sticks of butter, you can use a tall glass instead of a bowl with the same method! The softened butter is now ready to use. My favorite way to transform it is to make garlic herb compound butter. You might also need it for baking recipes like pineapple cake, coconut cake, pinwheel cookies, or frosting recipes like this vanilla buttercream. If you use this method to soften butter, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
