Butter can quickly become a baker's bane when you realize that you were supposed to soften it before you got started on your recipe. While you may run to the microwave to soften butter in a pinch, making it too warm can ruin your final product, so try using a rolling pin to soften butter quickly without melting it.

According to Food52, the rolling pin method will give you "pliable cold butter" in under a minute, and "soft butter at room temperature” in 15 minutes, and you just need waxed paper or a Ziploc bag, a rolling pin, and a cool countertop. Start by placing a stick of butter between two sheets of waxed paper or inside the plastic bag.

Next, take your rolling pin and pound the stick of butter until it is flat and about a half-inch thick. Then, "fold" the flattened butter into halves and roll it out to about 1/4 inch in thickness, let it sit on the counter for five minutes, flip it over, and let it sit for five more, repeating until the butter is the consistency that you need.