One dough, three cookies.  Not only does this concept help satiate my multiple midnight cravings, it also aligns with my natural affinity for microwave meals.  I don’t know if I’ve ever shared, but beyond my two years in a college dorm room with nothing more than a microwave oven, there was also that year and a half period post graduation that I lived with a roommate with just a microwave then too.  What would appear to be a torturous affair that would never have me look at another microwave again, lent me the ability to make the best with what I had and gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for an appliance that is often demonized.  The way I see it, it’s better than nothing and for those folks who do only have a microwave, there are solutions to a seemingly bleak situation.

For me, both occasions where I was pretty kitchen-less had me whip up some creative plates despite the fact, albeit some epic fails came along the way too.  There was once that time an egg dish went disastrously awry and I found pieces of egg everywhere for many weeks to come.  However, I also associate this time with those naively blissful moments when we didn’t need much but to be young and free.  I reflect back fondly on this.  Especially that time when we finally made it home past three am and I thought it was a brilliant idea to try and make a lasagna in the microwave.  Miraculously, something half decent actually came out of it considering that we’d been up all night partying and I was guessing the measurements as I went along.

What I’m trying to say here is that you’d be surprised how many people message me about their current living situations and how the microwave is pretty much the only piece of cooking equipment they have.  I’ve been there, guys.  It’s at least something versus nothing and along the way, you could even whip up an edible lasagna too if you’re foolhardy enough.

Today, with a more proper application for a recipe I’ve tested several times, we’ll be creating three soft and chewy cookies from one dough.  Each one takes about a minute to make and they don’t even require cracking any eggs.  These cookies are endlessly versatile.  You guys know how much I adore a recipe that can be stretched in several different ways.  This one is no different in that you can mix in any candies of your choice or even swirl in peanut butter or nutella too.  Also, depending on your use of fats and dairy, these can also be made into completely vegan cookies.  The options are as vast as your cravings.  As for me, I’ve been known to whip up two batches of this for a total of six cookies whenever a craving should strike.  That may or may not have been this past weekend.

5.0 from 1 reviews

3 No-Bake Cookies

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

1 min

Total time

6 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 3 cookies total

Ingredients

• 3 tb melted coconut oil or butter
• 6 tb sugar
• ½ ts pure vanilla extract
• 2.5 ts milk of choice
• 9 tb flour
• ⅛ ts salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl, cream the oil/butter and sugar together for at least 2 minutes.
2. Mix in the the vanilla and milk well.
3. In another bowl, whisk the flour and salt together.
4. Combine both bowls. Be mindful not to over-mix. This will create a tough cookie.
5. Divide into 3 portions {about 60 grams each}
6. Flatten out onto microwave-safe plates lined with parchment. In my 1.4.5 kw microwave oven, I let them go for about a minute. When in doubt go low and slow. Each microwave is different.

3.4.3177

These soft lemon cookies are melt in your mouth delicious with a pillowy texture and a glaze that’s as easy to whip up as the cookies themselves.  Each bite sparkles with the brightness of lemon infused two ways.  First, the freshly squeezed juice and second, the vibrant zest where a ton of the flavor lives in the essential oils packed in the rind.  The natural sunny disposition of lemons which are then packed into a cookie make for a great treat for your #epicnic

A picnic on the beach is precisely where I took these babies with me and I may or may not have gobbled up 4 of them {after a fairly hefty sandwich, quinoa salad, and 2 glasses of sparkling lemonade, mind you}.  I rationalized that my frequent dips in the water would easily take care of the extra calories.  Glazed lemon cookies and the first day warm enough to swim in the ocean?  Epic all the way in my book.

As easy as they are to eat, they’re easy to make too. These puffy cookies only take 5 ingredients and then 2 of those ingredients are reused for a most simple lemon glaze that sets up incredibly thick and glossy atop each cookie with flecks of lemon zest “sprinkles.”  The results are soft and tender cookies that are an almost hybrid of both cake and cookie with a dough that you don’t even have to chill.  It goes from bowl to oven to mouth in 20 minutes or less.  An added bonus?  You can make these with a spatula or whisk and a single bowl with no mixer necessary, if you so choose.  If you love lemon, cake-y or glazed cookies and recipes that require minimal effort, this is the cookie for you.  As I mention in the video, it’s like sunshine in your mouth and I mean it.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Soft Glazed Lemon Cookies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 3-4 Dozen

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of soft, unsalted butter
• 1¼ c powdered sugar
• 2 room temperature eggs
• Zest of 3 unwaxed lemons
• 2 c self rising flour*

Glaze

• ½ c powdered sugar
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for 3-5 minutes. Blend in the eggs, one at a time with the lemon zest.
2. Mix in the flour in thirds just to combine. Do not over mix.
3. Scoop and bake at 350. My 2 tablespoons of dough baked for about 8 minutes.
4. Cool completely.
5. For the glaze, whisk everything together. You want the consistency of glue to ensure that it doesn’t slide off.
6. Spoon 1-2 ts of glaze onto each cookie and allow to dry before serving.

Notes

Homemade self rising flour: combine 1 c unbleached flour with 1½ ts baking powder and ¼ ts kosher salt or ⅛ ts fine salt.

3.2.2925

Love,

Your Squishy Monster

Happily enough, I get a ton of emails from very young viewers and they express how much they love my easy recipes, most of which are no-bake or only require 2-3 ingredients.  In that spirit, I’ve created super simple no-bake cookie dough truffles that are safe to eat and come together in no time.

5.0 from 7 reviews

No-Bake Cookie Dough + Truffles

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1 Dozen

Ingredients

• ½ c unbleached flour
• ¼ ts fine salt
• ½ stick unsalted room temperature butter
• ⅓ c brown sugar
• 1 tb granulated sugar
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• 1 ts whole milk {optional}
• ½ c mini chocolate chips

For Truffles

• 1 c melted chocolate

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla.
4. Add milk if the mixture is dry.
5. Carefully mix in the flour and salt in 2 separate additions. Don’t overwork it.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Roll into balls.
8. If making truffles, chill the dough balls in the fridge for 30 minutes.
9. Melt the chocolate low and slow. If using the microwave, heat it in 15-20 second bursts and stir each time.
10. Dip each dough ball into the chocolate, tap off excess and set to dry on parchment/silpat/wax.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

You guys loved my fluffy cinnamon rolls so much that I decided to whip up a bun/cookie hybrid.  Today, I present to you the cinnamon roll cookie.  It’s soft and warm with all the flavors of a cinnamon roll but with half the work and effort.  Can we say win-win?

5.0 from 3 reviews

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1½ c unbleached flour
• 1 ts baking powder
• ¼ ts fine salt
• ½ ts freshly ground cinnamon
• 1 stick soft unsalted butter
• ⅓ c powdered sugar
• ⅓ c brown sugar
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• 1 room temperature egg

Filling

• ⅓ c brown sugar
• 1½ tb freshly ground cinnamon
• ¼ ts freshly ground cloves
• 1-2 tb melted butter

Icing

• 4 oz soft cream cheese
• ⅓ c sifted powdered sugar
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 tb room temperature whole milk

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In the second bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for at least 5 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and egg.
4. Slowly incorporate the first bowl with the second bowl. Do not over mix.
5. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. Make the filling by stirring the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves together. Set aside.
7. Make the icing by blending the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together. Set aside.
8. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough out to ¼” thickness.
9. Brush the surface with melted butter and evenly sprinkle the filling, leaving about an inch of a border all the way around.
10. Carefully roll the dough as tightly as you can without breaking the dough. It helps if you slip a piece of nonstick material beneath it {like plastic wrap, wax/parchment, silpat}.
11. Cover the rolled dough with plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
12. Slice the chilled dough and if time allows, pop the rounds in the fridge for 15-20 minutes as this will prevent them from spreading too much.
13. Bake the cookies at 350 for 9-11 minutes.
14. Cool completely and top with icing.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I get a ton of requests.  Some random, some weird.  But since school started, I’ve been receiving them from students wondering what they can make in their cramped quarters, often only equipped with a microwave.  I know for me, the biggest cravings I fought were for hot chocolate chip cookies so I decided to share the quickest and easiest way I know to whip one up in no time with just a few ingredients and 1 minute in the microwave.  Keep those requests coming, guys!  However, I don’t think I’ll be demonstrating how to display “body sushi” anytime soon, lol.

httpv://youtu.be/ymqoNV1gop8

5.0 from 4 reviews

1 Minute Chocolate Chip Cookie for 1

 

Cook time

1 min

Total time

1 min

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 tb soft salted butter
• 2 tb brown sugar
• ¼ ts vanilla extract
• ½ ts whole milk
• 3 tb flour
• 2 tb chocolate

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the vanilla and milk to the same bowl.
3. Lastly, add the flour in 2 quick batches then fold in the chocolate.
4. Spread it onto a microwave-safe surface, making the center thicker than the edges.
5. Microwave in 30 second bursts to add up to a minute or so. My microwave reads 1.58 kw so each microwave will be different though, keep in mind to slightly undercook as it will continue to set as it cools.

3.2.2708

Got a craving for an epic cookie?

httpv://youtu.be/4NqMWjB8jKI

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

There are several reasons I enjoy these cookies.  First, I’m a fan of all coconut products. Then, there’s the fact that they’re slightly crisp on the edges yet soft and chewy in the center. Plus, they’re easy peasy, just using one bowl and come together in no time at all. Try these today because you’re only 15 minutes away from start to finish.

httpv://youtu.be/twCC87WYQ2Q

5.0 from 2 reviews

Coconut Macaroons

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1-2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 1½ oz room temperature egg whites
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• ¼ ts fine salt
• ¼ c sugar
• 2½ c un/sweetened coconut {either works}

Instructions

1. Whip the egg whites until they get frothy then add the vanilla, salt and slowly add the sugar. Whip again until it gets glossy and achieves soft peaks.
2. Carefully fold in the coconut in 2-3 additions.
3. Scoop onto parchment/silpat {I used a mini scoop} and bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.
4. Cool and drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

It’s definitely strawberry pickin’ season around here and after making my jam, strawberry cake, and strawberry ice cream, I found myself still greedily returning back to our local strawberry farm, clutching a basket to stuff it with more.  Needless to say, it’s been a strawberry party everyday.  Another one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh berries is by muddling them into fresh lemonade.  As I took a sip in between my recent strawberry flurry, I decided then and there that I’d like to bake this sweet and tart flavor up into a cookie.  A quick poke around the net yielded pre-mixed box cake recipes which is all fine and dandy but this recipe blends in real crushed strawberries and the high note of pulpy, juicy lemons.

httpv://youtu.be/-GeaBp5kxgs

4.3 from 3 reviews

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

22 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 2-3 Dozen

Ingredients

• 1 stick soft unsalted butter
• ½ c granulated sugar
• ½ c brown sugar
• 1 room temperature egg
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4-6 crushed strawberries
• 2 c unbleached flour
• ¼ ts fine salt
• ¼ ts baking powder
• ¼ ts baking soda
• ½ c powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Blend in the egg and add the zest and juice.
3. Blend in the crushed strawberries. I personally enjoy chunks, which also prevents the batter from being too wet.
4. In the second bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Slowly add the second bowl into the first. Mix just to combine to avoid over mixing.
6. Scoop out dough and roll into the powdered sugar. The more you pack on, the more of a “crackle” look you achieve later.
7. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I love cheesecake and I don’t discriminate.

Red velvet cheesecake, Japanese cotton cheesecake, cheesecake truffles, pumpkin pie cheesecake, mango cheesecake…I love it all.

Today, I’m bringing you all the flavor of cheesecake without all the muss and fuss.  I introduce the cheesecake cookie.

httpv://youtu.be/j9Ww4m8xM_c

5.0 from 3 reviews

Cheesecake Cookies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1-2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 1 c unbleached flour
• ¼ ts baking powder
• Pinch of fine salt
• 5 oz room temperature cream cheese
• 6 tb room temperature butter
• ⅓ c brown sugar
• ⅓ c granulated sugar
• 1 room temperature egg
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 ts vanilla extract
• Optional: chocolate chips/melted chocolate*

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the second bowl, break up the cream cheese and butter and cream it together with the sugars for 3-5 minutes.
3. Blend in the egg.
4. Add the zest and vanilla.
5. Combine the first and second bowl carefully in 2-3 separate additions. Be mindful not to over mix.
6. If time allows, chill the dough for 20-30 minutes.
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Notes

*You could also do a berry cheesecake version by subbing out the chocolate with freeze dried berries.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

To be quite honest, I had no idea what these even were but per baby brother and his friends requests, I tested these in my kitchen, having a good ole’ time ripping open nostalgic pudding packs, that unmistakable smell taking me back to middle school again.  I produced this recipe by scaling back both the flour and sugar to take the pudding into consideration with an egg binding the dough and of course there are a ton of crumbled cookies mixed into the batter for good measure.

httpv://youtu.be/CvM6mRiQENg

5.0 from 3 reviews

Oreo Pudding Cookies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1-2 Dozen

Ingredients

• ½ c unbleached flour
• ½ ts baking soda
• ¼ ts fine salt
• 1 package of vanilla/oreo pudding
• 1 stick soft, unsalted butter
• ⅓ c granulated sugar
• ¼ c brown sugar {just all granulated is fine}
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• 1 room temperature egg
• 8-10 crushed Oreos + 2 for the tops
• Melted chocolate/ganache

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix.
2. In the second bowl, cream together the butter {and both sugars, if using} for 2-4 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and the egg.
4. Slowly combine the first and second bowl together in thirds. Don’t over mix.
5. Fold in the cookie pieces and if time allows, chill the batter in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
6. If not chilling, proceed by scooping onto flat, greased cookie sheets at 350 for 10-12 minutes {if you want a larger cookie, gently flatten the tops with greased palms before baking}.
7. Cool completely then drizzle with melted chocolate or ganache then crumble the 2 Oreos over the baked cookies.

3.2.2807

Happy baking!

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

This is my favorite, go-to sugar cookie recipe because it bakes up light, buttery cookies that are lightly almond scented and hold their shape when they bake.  Now, you could use this dough, un-tinted for decorating purposes but I thought it’d be fun to twist them into candy canes.

httpv://youtu.be/fzV3iHlOg9s

5.0 from 1 reviews

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 2-3 Dozen

Ingredients

• 1½ c unbleached flour
• 1 ts baking powder
• ¼ ts fine salt
• 1 stick soft unsalted butter
• ¼ c brown sugar
• ¼ c white sugar
• 1½ ts almond extract {vanilla or peppermint}
• 1 room temperature egg
• 1 tb red food color {in half the dough}

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the second bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients: butter and sugars.
3. Add the extract and egg.
4. Divide the dough evenly and add the red color to half the dough.
5. Gather it in some plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
6. Tear off even strips from the white and red dough and roll into ropes with the palm of your hands {the warmth will help them be more pliable}.
7. Push the two ropes together and twist, making a crook at the neck to create the candy cane shape.
8. Chill the shaped cookies for 15-20 minutes if you want cookies that don’t spread too much but bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes if you don’t mind them being a bit puffy.

Notes

Does not include chilling time.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~