Creaming 101


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Creaming 101

By The Paula Deen Test Kitchen

Creaming is the first baking step in most cookie and cake recipes. Usually, the directions read “Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.” Did you know that this is one of the most important steps if not THE most important steps in the entire recipe? If done correctly, it should take nearly 10 minutes to complete.


What is the Science Behind Creaming?
Creaming incorporates the maximum amount of air bubbles so a recipe will rise in the oven and be light in texture. It is done by beating with a hand mixer or standing mixer with a paddle attachment, the “fat” which is usually butter, first and then adding sugar, usually granulated white sugar, and creaming the two together. Fat can also mean vegetable shortening, margarine or lard.  The sugar can be white or brown.

When butter and sugar are creamed together, the rough sugar crystals cut into the fat, creating air bubbles that are held in by it. These small air bubbles serve as a nuclei for leavening gases and steam. If the fat and sugar is creamed correctly, the entrapped air is more evenly dispersed around the fat leading to more even rising.

It’s important to remember that leaveners simply enlarge the air bubbles that already exist in the batter; they do not create more. A cookie or cake will rise when leaveners, such as baking soda and/or baking powder, are moistened and heated. They release carbon dioxide which gravitate to the air bubbles and expand them like very small balloons. If not creamed properly, the result will be a cake that is lopsided, one that has not risen as high as it can or one that will first puff in the oven and then fall.

The proper way to cream…don’t skimp on time!
1.  Use the paddle attachment on your standing mixer or the beaters with your hand-held electric mixer.
2.  Make sure to use room temperature butter (around 65ºF) cut into 1” pieces, placed in the mixer bowl.
3.  Using your mixer, begin at low speed to first soften the butter. Then increase the mixer to medium, for approximately 1 minute, until it is smooth.
4.  Beat fat into a plastic-like consistency. Be mindful not to over-beat. Over-beating the butter can soften it too much, which will diminish its ability to trap and hold air.
5.  With the mixer still set on medium, slowly add in the sugar at the side of the bowl. The best way is to add it 1 tablespoon at a time, taking approximately 10 minutes to complete. If you don’t have the time, you can slowly add the sugar in a steady stream or in small clumps (brown sugar) at the side of the bowl while mixing. Make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of your mixing bowl often with a rubber spatula.

How do I know when to stop the creaming process?
Stop creaming when the mixture becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.  The volume of the mixture will have increased and when touched, it should have the consistency of a thick gritty mayonnaise.

Paula’s Note:  if at any time during softening the butter or creaming, the butter starts to separate or break down, it is usually because it is too warm. To correct, place the butter or butter and sugar mixture in the refrigerator for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, even if half-way through creaming. This should chill and harden the fat so you can resume again.

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Leave a Comment

Reader Comments:

54321

thanks for the tip! this might be the reason why at times my cookie is rounded up or may be too flat.

By alyssa on December 30, 2011

54321

I never do this...maybe that's why my cookies turn out flat! Thank-you!

By lilshortchick82 on December 20, 2011

54321

"Serve as nuclei," not, "Serve as a nuclei."

By Lee on December 13, 2011

54321

I've been using my food processor to cream. My cookies always come out great, but now I'll more aware of the 'over beating' issue! Thanks for a great article!

By Amy Bagnall on December 05, 2011

54321

This was a great tip. I knew to let it beat for a while, but I didn't know about slowly adding the sugar. Learn something new every day.Thank you!

By Kris on December 01, 2011

54321

VERY interesting! I have been learning more about this step recently, but my mother always swore that the best cookies were mixed by hand, also! Whenever someone gave her a cookie, she knew when she ate it, if it was mixed by hand or not! I learned to make cookies by hand, but rely on my machine most of the time! She also would agree about butter temperature being important!!!! WOW...it made me think about the thousands of cookies she made every Christmas...mixing them by hand! Man, I miss her!

By Mary on November 27, 2011

54321

i love your show i watch it everyday... you are so funny

By sherry proctor on November 27, 2011

54321

im excited about reading your advise on creaming. this is a good lesson for me, i shall try this next time. thank you for sharing Paula!

By mere on November 04, 2011

54321

My grandmother would cream her butter and sugar by hand. It amazes me to this day how beautiful and smmoth it looked. I can do it by mixer, but to me it never looks as good as it did when she did it by hand. My grandmother died close to forty years ago. Her baking was legendary.

By mamatutu on July 05, 2011

54321

Thank you so much for the tip Paula! I love to bake and learned from my mom, but she always added all the butter and sugar together at the beginning and then started to cream. My cookies were always so flat, I can't wait to try this method now!

By Kandace on July 05, 2011

54321

My mom use to have the problems you mentioned! Lopsided cakes, and hers would also fall after being takin out of the oven. She thought(or said anyway:)it was the oven....now I know what it really was! Thanks, Paula!

By Lori on July 05, 2011

54321

Love watching your show on Food Network. When I make cookies, they always seem to stick to the cookie sheet after I bake them. Any suggestions on how to remedy this situation?

By Alison Kong on July 03, 2011

54321

Thanks for the creamin' tip. My cookies always seem too flat and hard when they cool. The next time I make them I will cream my butter properly. The next time ya'll are in Florida come on down to Howard Creek and eat you some peecan cookies. Love ya Paula

By Debbie Fountain on April 29, 2011

54321

Love watching your show,Palua.

By Alice Andrews on April 29, 2011

54321

Hello Anonymous, Here is the recipe you're looking for: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/chocolate_gooey_butter_cookies/

By Jonathan Able on February 10, 2011

54321

could you send me the recipe of those chocolate crinkle cookies that is by the cream the butter and sugar

By Anonymous on February 01, 2011

54321

WHY DO MOST OF MY COOKIES ,ESPECIALLY MY CHOCOLATE CHIP, COME OUT OF THE OVEN FLAT AS A PANCAKE. i'v tried different receipes and all come out the same.Love your shows and your magazines. Would love to come to your restraurant but I would eat tooooo much. Hope you can answer my question. Thanks.

By Delene Griepenstroh on February 01, 2011

54321

LOOKS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Kayla Lusk on January 24, 2011

54321

TO: My Beautiful Computer Cook!! LOL I cant say I like ALL your food, But I sure love a huge amount! I knew gettin the butter & sugar right was the key to it all, just didn't know why or when to stop or that it could be fixed in the process.. So, gotta say thanks for clearing that up!! YA'LL have a Happy New Year!! Love ya lot's, Melanie White, live in Idaho, from Georgia.. Miss the boiled peanut's, they don't get them here even in a can. :(

By Melanie White on January 03, 2011

54321

Wow, all the years of baking and wondering when something flopped...what did I do wrong... I always thought.. I followed the directions.... Never new the creaming was such an important step in a recipe....just got my answer to a flat cookie. Thank you so much for the tip! Sharon

By Sharon Bertino on December 15, 2010

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