Easy bake (microwave): Try this simple cookie recipe

STORY BY SHELBY JENSEN

In the Feb. 24 issue, I tried out a strawberries and cream mug cake. It was not good. After that moment, I swore off desserts made in coffee cups forever.

Then I realized that there aren’t a whole lot of recipes for “dorm food” that are prepared in other ways. Mugs are unavoidable. So today, I decided to give them a chance and make a microwaved chocolate chip cookie… In a mug.

The recipe was one of the easiest baked (microwaved) goods I’ve ever encountered. No baking soda was necessary, and I was able to substitute oil for the egg (I was out). There was no mess because everything was mixed in the mug, plus I only had to dirty one measuring spoon. It took exactly one minute to cook, even in my low-wattage dorm microwave. This was nice because most things require a lot of extra time.

This was definitely an okay cookie. I was expecting something gooey, like a cookie cake or something, but it was just a crunchy cookie at the bottom of a coffee cup. It was ridiculously hot when it came out of the microwave. The cookie tasted pretty good, but it was nothing special. Really, what would you expect from a microwaved cookie? I ate about half of the huge amount I made, and then had a realization. The mug was good for something! I could put ice cream in there and it would be a warm cookie sundae. After I did that, the whole thing became much more exciting.

For those of you who were wondering, you can make a pretty good cookie in your microwave. I would recommend it before making a whole batch in an oven and eating all of them. Better, though, you can put ice cream on that cookie. That’s what really made this recipe worth it. I’m still not entirely convinced on the mug cake movement, but this was much better than I expected.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Granulated White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 3 Drops of Vanilla Extract
• Small Pinch of Kosher Salt
• 1 Egg Yolk (discard the egg white or save for different recipe)
• Scant ¼ of All Purpose Flour (slightly less than ¼ of a cup)
• 2 heaping tablespoons of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS

• Start by melting your butter in the microwave. Butter should just be melted, not boiling.
• Add sugars, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine.
• Separate your egg and add the yolk only to your cup.
• Stir to combine.
• Add flour, then stir again.
• Measure a scant, slightly
• less than full, ¼ cup of
• all-purpose flour.
• Add chocolate chips, and give a final stir.
• Now your mixture will look like cookie dough.
• Cook in microwave 40-60 seconds. Start checking for completion at 40 seconds — mine takes 50 seconds.
• Do not cook past one minute, just like a regular cookie, this will continue cooking as it cools.
• If the cookie is dry or cake like, try cooking it for less time.
• Serve warm.