The Fastest Way To Soften Butter, According to a Pro Baker

As a recipe developer, I go through a lot of butter, but like most folks, I never remember to set out my butter an hour or two ahead of time to soften it. When I was developing recipes for my cookbook, Marbled, Swirled, and Layered, I needed my butter to get to room temperature quickly.

My go-to way was to cut the butter into cubes before I did anything else. By the time I had gathered the rest of the ingredients for my baking, buttered my pan, and started working on my recipe (about 10 minutes) the butter had warmed up to room temperature.

However, I was wondering if there was an even faster way to get butter to room temperature. So I reached out to my friend, Peabody Johanson, author of Holy Sweet and blogger at Sweet Recipeas. Her favorite butter-softening method is even faster than mine and way more fun.

The Fastest Way To Soften Butter for Baking

Peabody places the butter between two pieces of parchment paper, then takes a wooden rolling pin and whacks it all over until it is about 1/2-inch thick. This only takes a minute or two, and the flattened butter comes to room temperature in another minute or two. Super fast and super satisfying!

This works because the physical act of smashing the butter not only makes it more pliable, but the large surface area allows the thin butter to warm up quickly. It’s also a great way to work out your aggression! The butter softens consistently throughout, which is not the case when you microwave it, which can create hot spots and leave parts of the butter still rock hard and cold.

Why It’s Important To Bring Butter to Room Temperature for Baking

Bringing butter to room temperature is key for a lot of baking projects. When I asked Jamie Li, professional cake designer, to explain why soften butter is important, she said, “When butter is at room temperature (68°F to 72°F), it can trap air bubbles that expand during baking, creating a light and fluffy cake. This principle also applies to making buttercream, where room-temperature butter ensures a smooth, creamy texture. This is particularly crucial when frosting or decorating a cake to ensure smooth sides and sharp edges. For successful cakes and buttercream, softened butter is a must.”

Alanna Taylor Tobin, cookbook author of Alternative Baker and blogger at The Bojon Gourmet further explained, “If the butter is too firm and cold, it won’t blend well into the other ingredients. For cakes and cookies, the batter won’t be properly aerated, and the cake or cookies may bake up dense or flat.”

Always look at what the recipe calls for before softening your butter. While cakes, cookies, brownies, and other baked goods will specify room temperature or softened butter, some baking recipes actually require cold butter. Jamie explained, “Certain recipes, like pie crusts, biscuits, scones, and dough lamination/pastry call for cold butter instead. Cold butter creates layers that result in a crisp, flaky texture, which is why it’s ideal for these types of baked goods.” 

How Soft Is Too Soft?

Of course, it is possible for your butter to be too warm! Ryan Alvarez and Adam Merrin, authors of That Takes the Cookie and bloggers at Husbands That Cook said, “If your butter is as soft as mayonnaise, it’s too warm. It won’t mix well with other ingredients and will result in uneven, greasy dough. It also won’t become fluffy when whipped with sugar, so those crucial air bubbles won’t form. This can turn your cookies into flat, thin discs that spread out too much in the oven. If your butter is too warm, don’t panic—simply place it back in the fridge for a few minutes until it firms up.”

I personally have had this happen on a warm day, where my butter has gotten slightly soupy. The results are baked cookies that spread out into each other, turning into one solid, flat, sad, sugary mess. The next time that happens, I’ll probably take out my frustration on a stick of butter, as I go back to square one with the recipe I’m working on.