Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, it could take hours to soften butter. An easy alternative is to fill a tall glass with the hottest tap water (or boiling water.) Unwrap the stick of butter and stand it on a plate. Dump out the hot water and invert the hot glass over the stick of butter. After 4-5 minutes, you should have softened butter, ready to add to a recipe or spread onto toast! See video below for a demonstration.