Soften Your Butter Fast! (Without the Microwave)

I saw this in another blog that I read, and though I had to share! We're officially in November, so now comes the time of cooking! Whether you're cooking your own Thanksgiving meal, or just preparing for the holidays, hopefully this tip will make your lives simpler, too! I, for one, am an impulsive cooker/baker. I usually decide on a whim, without even the proper ingredients for the job. Obviously, with that said, I never have the foresight to set my butter out early to come to room temperature. 

I'm that microwave person, because of this. I have it almost down pat: I start off at 8 seconds, then rotate the butter and cook 5 more seconds at a time. The problem with this method is that some parts of your butter melt entirely, while other parts haven't even started to soften. Here are two awesome ideas that I just found to properly expedite the process!

The first is a fun way to also release a little frustration. Take the amount of butter that you need to soften and place it between two sheets of wax paper, or even in a ziplock bag. With a rolling pin, roll your butter out to about 1/4 thick. You can also use a meat hammer to flatten your butter out. Allow it to sit for just a couple minutes, and it should be ready for your baking purposes. 

Another option is to set up your own double boiler, of sorts. Get a couple of cups of water ready to go in a saucepan (very hot, but not boiling), and then set a bowl with your butter over the top of it. This should make short work of getting your butter soft enough to bake with! Just make sure to keep an eye on it, as this can cause your butter to soften too much, too, if you walk away from it.