How-to: Cream butter and sugar for baked goods

So many recipes call for creamed butter and sugar, but few tell us exactly how to accomplish it. Left to our own devices, we end up blowing the whole thing. Nicole Gardner, owner of the G-Free Spot, shared how to properly cream butter and sugar for baked goods. “Taking the extra time to cream your butter properly and sugar will result in a wonderful baked good,” she said. “It’s definitely worth a couple of extra minutes to do it right.”

1. Place room-temperature butter (or shortening) into a stand mixer with a paddle, or use a hand mixer and turn on medium speed.

2. Mix until the butter begins to turn light yellow and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

3. Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl.

4. Slowly add sugar and continue to mix and scrape until it’s a uniform light, fluffy mixture with “body.” Do not over-mix, or it will get soupy and greasy. Use medium speed to prevent over mixing.