How to Cream Butter

Creaming butter is often one of the first steps in correctly preparing a light and fluffy dessert. Cream butter using simple techniques, common kitchen utensils and accessible home appliances to ensure adequate food preparation and delicious results for your family.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Soften butter sticks by having them stand at room temperature (or between 65 and 70 degrees Farenheit) for a few hours.

2. Unwrap the sticks. Cut the butter into small, manageable one-inch long portions and place them in a heavy, cool mixing bowl.

3. Put some sugar into the bowl.

4. Attach beaters to a hand mixer.

5. Set your mixer to its lowest speed and mix the butter and sugar until no clumps remain. Turn your mixer to medium speed and continue to mix for about two minutes while regularly scraping off beater buildup with a rubber spatula.

6. Continue to add small amounts of sugar at a time and keep mixing.

7. Mix for about ten minutes. Pause periodically to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl for unblended sugar.

8. Blend until the desired fluffiness and smoothness is achieved. Check for ridges, as they signify that air pockets are present in the mixture and that creaming has been successfully completed.

9. Use your creamed butter immediately or store it in a refrigerator for future use.

Tips & Warnings

• Grate large blocks of butter to speed up the softening process.

• If your butter melts while you are trying to soften it, simply put it in the freezer for a few minutes to harden it again.

• Do not attempt to microwave butter to soften it. Microwaving butter liquefies it and makes it unmanageable.