How to quickly soften hard butter

How often have you been baking only to discover you need softened butter but yours is rock hard in the refrigerator, or worse, frozen! Here is how to soften it quickly without ending up with liquid butter.

First, determine how much butter you need, and cut off that amount. Then, cut the butter into small pieces, placing it into a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Then microwave on high at 5-second intervals until it is softened enough for use, without it turning into liquid (unless completely melted butter is what you want!)