Cover It (Our Favorite Method)

Cup of Yum
1. Fill a large glass cup or microwave-safe bowl with water and microwave it until hot. Pour the hot water out. Stand the stick of butter up tall and cover it with the empty warmed glass. The warm air trapped under the glass will soften the butter more quickly than if the butter is left on the counter. This works for both frozen and refrigerated butter. 

Cut It

1. Slice the stick of butter into sections or small chunks (this will help the outer section and inner sections of the butter soften quickly and evenly). This will work for both refrigerated and frozen butter.

Roll It

1. Place the unwrapped stick of butter in a plastic bag, between two sheets of wax paper or pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to pound it a bit and then roll it into a flat even butter pancake. This method works for refrigerated butter but not frozen butter.

Grate It

1. If your recipe uses room-temperature butter that needs to be cut into the flour, you can use a box grater to grate the butter. This works for both frozen and refrigerated butter.