Cut the cold butter into even-sized chunks (this will ensure that they soften evenly), place the chunks in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for no more than 10 seconds. Take the bowl out and check the butter - if it is still too hard, place it back in the microwave for 5 seconds at a time.
While “room temperature” is standard advice, slightly cooler than room temperature is actually better. Once the butter reaches about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), it’s too warm to retain much air, which can result in denser baked goods. For best results, test the temperature using a digital thermometer. If you don’t have one, you can test the butter by giving it a poke with your fingers; if the butter is soft as a ripe peach and your fingers easily leave an indentation, it’s ready to use. [2] X Research source However, if the butter is squishy and shiny it has probably started to melt, which is not ideal for creaming. Place the butter back in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes until it firms up a little.
These types of bowls have rougher surfaces which catch the butter and speed up the creaming process. [3] X Research source Metal or plastic bowls have smoother surfaces which do not catch the butter.
Use a fork, wire whisk, spatula or wooden spoon to mush up the butter before you begin to mix. Like with the ceramic or stoneware bowl, it is believed that a wooden spoon will catch the butter more easily and speed up the creaming process.
Continue beating the butter and sugar once all of the sugar has been added. Beat vigorously but steadily - you will have to work at it for a while so you don’t want to tire yourself out too soon! Switch hands if you need to. Just think of all the calories you’ll burn while beating - you’ll certainly deserve that extra cookie once they’re done!
When it’s ready, the mixture should be creamy and lump-free. It should be slighter paler in color too. A good test is to drag a fork through the mixture - if you see any streaks of butter, you’ll need to keep beating, if not you can continue with your recipe. If you leave streaks of butter in your mixture, this means that it’s not uniform and your final product will have an uneven texture.
As the sugar is beaten, it cuts through the butter, leaving bubbles of air behind. This aerates the mixture, allowing it to rise and giving the final product a light, fluffy texture. Most recipes will call for caster or superfine sugar when creaming butter. This is because superfine sugar has the perfect consistency for creaming - it has enough of a surface area that it will adequately aerate the butter as it is beaten (unlike powdered sugar), but it is fine enough that it will not give a coarse texture to cakes and cookies (unlike granulated sugar).
Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula from time to time, to reincorporate any sugar or butter that has stuck to the sides. Also try to scrape out any mixture that has become trapped in the beaters.
Be careful not the over-mix the butter and sugar. Once the mixture is pale and creamy, and forms slight, soft peaks, you should stop beating. If you keep mixing, it will lose most of the air you worked in and the final product will not rise very well. As a guideline, your butter and sugar should be perfectly creamed in about six or seven minutes, when using a mixer.
