I love to bake — but sometimes, I don't want to make a whole batch of cookies or an entire sheet cake. Sometimes I don't even have all the ingredients I need to make a whole batch of cookies or an entire sheet cake in the first place — but that's why microwave dessert hacks exist. They're there for when you want to satisfy your sweet tooth with some fresh-baked goodness… minus the whole baking thing. It's a good thing BuzzFeed is on it, right? Sweet, delicious noms for all!
While it's true that most microwave desserts won't taste quite like something that's been baking at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, they do still manage to come pretty close to it. And hey: Microwave mug cake is better than no cake at all, right? The best part about these handy-dandy recipes — which, by the way, BuzzFeed assembled into an incredibly useful video with all the step-by-step instructions you need — is that you probably have just about everything you need to make them already hanging out in your cupboards. Even if you're about to run out of flour, who cares? Most of them only call for a few tablespoons, anyway.
Here are my three favorites; scroll down to watch the whole video for more. Who needs an Easy Bake Oven when you've got a nice, sensible microwave?
1. Mason Jar Cookie
You could also make this one as a mug cookie, or a ramekin cookie, or pretty much any other type of microwave-safe container cookie you feel like. The best part? No cookie sheets required. All you have to do is mix all these things up in your receptacle of choice, microwave for a minute (but absolutely no longer than a minute!), and bam! Fresh-baked cookie for one. Or, y'know, fresh-microwaved cookie for one. Whatever.
2. Cinnamon Bun Cake
Cinnamon buns are the best, but good gravy, are they time consuming. Seriously — the one time I made them, I made the dough, stuck it in a pre-heated then switched off oven to rise, went on a Halloween hayride for a few hours, came home, assembled the rolls, put them in the fridge over night, pulled them out of the fridge at 7 AM the next morning, went back to sleep for two more hours while they came to room temperature and rose again, and then finally baked them.
They were delicious… but there is a reason I have only every done made them once.
With this microwave cinnamon bun cake, though, you get all the delicious cinnamon bun flavor in just a few minutes. Throw all those ingredients in a mug, mix it up, and nuke it for 60 to 75 seconds. Don't forget the frosting!
3. Peanut Brittle
This one is a little more labor-intensive than the others, mostly because it involves a few different microwave cycles and an hour of patience — but I am fascinated by it. I currently lack peanuts, but I do have a giant bag of almonds currently sitting in my kitchen; maybe I'll give it a shot tonight. Those are the ingredients up top, and here's the finished product; watch the video for the (somewhat detailed) instructions.
Oh, and hey, there are two more epic microwave desserts in it, too, so go on. Click “play.” You know you want to — because you guys. Nutella cake. You're welcome.
Images: Fotolia; BuzzFeedVideo/YouTube (6)
