There have been countless times when I’ve planned to bake something (like holiday cookies), but as soon as I scan through the recipe, I realize that it calls for softened butter and all I have is rock ...

When you set out to bake cookies or make a cake, you might notice that many recipes call for softened butter. But do you really need to soften your butter? And if so, what’s the quickest way to do it?

It happens all the time. I'm in the mood to bake, I've got a great recipe, all of my ingredients are on the counter, and then I read the dreaded words: butter, softened. My butter is rock hard from ...

For when you forgot to do it ahead of time—again. We’ve all experienced that moment of kitchen despair when you begin a baking project and realize you forgot to set out your butter for softening.

Beating butter with a rolling pin is the quickest, most foolproof method for achieving evenly softened butter. A stand mixer or microwave are both effective tools, but proceed with caution to ensure ...

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Sharon Lockley has over 20 years of experience as an editor and writer and has been contributing to Food & Wine since 2019. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to spread cold butter on a ...