Showerthought: is room temperature butter actually a myth for creaming?

I keep seeing recipes that say butter should be 68-70°F for creaming, but in my kitchen, even after 30 minutes out, it's still 60°F. My aunt swears cold butter gives better structure, while my friend in Phoenix says hers melts by minute 15. Am I overthinking this or is there a real difference in how your cookies come out based on climate? Anyone else have a go-to trick for getting butter to that perfect temp without a thermometer?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellyg141d ago

My aunt puts her butter in a warm water bath for like 2 minutes, she's been doing it for 40 years and her cookies turn out fine. Honestly I think people overthink this, it's just cookies not rocket science.

tessa_hill861d ago

You're not overthinking this at all. I live in a cold climate and my butter is practically a brick if I just leave it on the counter for half an hour. What works for me is cutting the butter into small cubes and spreading them out on a plate, then microwaving in 5 second bursts while checking with my finger. I've ruined too many batches of cookies with cold butter that never fully creamed, so now I just plan ahead and pull the butter out an hour early. Your aunt might be onto something about structure though, I've heard that colder butter can give a chewier cookie but it's hard to get the sugar incorporated right.