Making a Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug

Scrolling through Pinterest for a quick recipe idea, I stumbled upon a pin that linked to a gluten-free chocolate chip mug cookie recipe. Mug cakes, of course, are something I’m familiar with. But cookies? In a mug? I was intrigued. With a claim that it would only take me five minutes to make and a healthy dose of skepticism, I decided to give it a shot. After all, I had ten minutes left in my break before I had to get back to studying, and this recipe claimed I’d be ready when my timer went off, mug cookie in hand.

I want to start by making one thing very clear: it was silly of me to actually expect to get a cookie like consistency when I was baking this cookie in a mug in the microwave. What I actually ended up with a more pancake-like texture and density. It wasn’t bad, but you should know what you’re getting yourself into.

I quickly collected my ingredients, and the first thing I noticed was that this recipe didn’t mess around. All I really needed was a tablespoon and a quarter cup measurer, my mug, and the fork I used to combine the ingredients. I eyeballed the vanilla so I wouldn’t need to dirty the 1/4 teaspoon, making for an even quicker cleanup.

Like with most recipes, I didn’t actually follow this recipe completely either.

It was more of a starting off point. I didn’t see a point in separating the egg yolk from the whites so I just put an entire egg in my mug cookie. I don’t know enough about baking to be able to tell you if this made a huge difference, but judging from the video on the recipe website, it probably made the dough a little more batter-like. The end images of the cookie, however, look very similar to how mine turned out, so take that for what you will. I used the King Arthur Flour measure for measure gluten-free flour (one of my favorite gluten-free flour mixes out there) and used a little more brown sugar than white sugar (not a huge sugar fan, usually cut it down in most recipes). To make things dairy-free, for butter, my go-to dairy-free alternative has always been earth balance, and the Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips are also a favorite.

This recipe isn’t lying about how easy it is to whip up.

I was honestly surprised since it usually takes me a while to put things together and I’ve learned to just about double the prep times when I make something, but this recipe really is quick! I’d say if it really only takes me five minutes, it would probably be even less for the average baker.

Now, I did make this in a soup mug, because I didn’t have any large mugs within reach. Naturally, as a result my cookie had a larger surface area, and I was surprised by how much it rose in the microwave! The recipe calls for no longer than one minute in the microwave, but I ended up testing the cookie partway through and keeping it in for about 70 seconds. It probably could have gone a little longer, but still was baked through. The way the recipe was worded made me a bit apprehensive about keeping it in for longer and I don’t think I should’ve been worried. I have a feeling the recipe creator and I have very different microwaves! I’m glad I used the mug I did with how big this treat ended up getting. I’ll have to see if it bakes the same way in a traditionally shaped mug.

Overall, this was a nice mid-study day treat!

I’d definitely be willing to try it again. The flavor felt a little lacking, next time I think I’ll add a bit more salt and chocolate chips to help it out. For a first try, it was nothing a little vanilla ice cream on top couldn’t fix!

If you want to try out the chocolate chip mug cookie recipe I used for yourself, click here! Be sure to shoot me an email at peyton@patienceandpajamas.com or send me a DM on Instagram (@andpajamas) and let me know how yours turned out.