Forgot to take out the butter so it had time to soften before making your recipe? Don't worry! This hack on how to soften butter quickly will save the day!
Pour very hot water into a glass or bowl that will fit over your stick of butter. Allow the hot water to sit in the glass/bowl for 3-5 minutes.
Pour out the water and place the glass/bowl over the stick of butter. The residual heat from the hot water will speed up the process of softening the butter. It will soften in about 10-15 minutes.
Traditional Method: Let it sit at room temperature
Depending on the temperature in your home, this can take anywhere from 1-3 hours. You can leave it in the packaging or open it.
Cutting it into cubes will help speed up the process of allowing it to sit out at room temperature.
Or you can thinly slice the butter to help speed up the process. Place the slices separately on a plate to help.
Microwave Method:
Although this is not recommended, you can soften butter in the microwave, but you have to be extremely careful while doing so. Remove any wrapping and place on a microwave safe plate of bowl. Only microwave in 5-10 second intervals until soft but not melted.