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?

We all love butter, but let’s face it, when you’re ready to start baking and discover your butter is hard as a rock, it’s, well, a pain in the butt…er. Not to worry, we tested several methods for ...