Tempting Treats and Trivial Receipts
Cheap and dorm friendly no-bake dessert recipes
Hello, fellow dorm room chefs!
Welcome back to another week of “Deliciously Inexpensive Dorm Dish Discoveries.” In this post, we will be discussing my favorite meal of the day! Correction: It’s not actually a meal. If ten-year-old Brianna knew I admitted that, she’d probably be pissed, but it needed to be said. There was a time where I could have consumed these delectable treats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I am a changed woman now (not). If you haven’t guessed from the title of this blog, today is all about desserts, desserts, and more desserts! For my sweet tooth viewers out there, these recipes are dedicated to you!
Before we begin, I feel like I should give you all a disclaimer. I may or may not have eaten the majority of what is pictured on this blog today, so if I sound like I’m writing from a sugar coma, it’s because I am.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, baking is nearly impossible in a dorm! Not only does it require an oven, but it also requires 10-15 ingredients that I’ll never use. Flour and sugar have no practical use in a dorm unless you plan on baking a cake inside your microwave, in which case I would say good luck to you and your microwave. Most cookies, brownies, or muffins take a minimum of twenty minutes to bake, but I don’t have the luxury of time as a busy college student. I have always enjoyed baking so being robbed of this luxury inside a dorm has been a struggle.
During my freshman year of college, I usually satisfied my cravings for sweets with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and cookie dough. Thinking back on that, downing the tub of raw cookie dough probably wasn’t my brightest moment, but I still do it, nonetheless. Luckily, my sophomore year has proved to be much healthier and creative in the cooking department as I have discovered many alternatives to the practical tub of ice cream. These recipes will never measure up to my grandma’s brownies or warm cookies fresh from the oven, but they will be sure to give you the sweet sugar rush you’re looking for. If you’ve been following along, you won’t find this as a surprise, but my mini waffle maker has changed my dorm dessert dining and revolutionized no-bake desserts. However, if you haven’t bought into the waffle maker just yet, there is a long list of sweet treats that don’t require any heat at all. The dessert possibilities are endless when you have a mini-fridge and a curious imagination!
The recipes I am trying out today require a microwave and my trusty waffle maker (I know, surprise surprise), but they only consist of a whopping total of 2 ingredients. Crazy right?!? Not only were these desserts cost-friendly, but they were also incredibly simple to prepare. I love desserts as much as the next person, but there is nothing I love more than a CHEAP dessert. Something to note about these ingredients is their versatility in other recipes. You can’t go wrong with Oreos, chocolate, and milk because they can be used independently or paired with other sweet snacks. Sure, chocolate bars are great, but sometimes you crave something just a little sweeter! If you’re in the mood to branch out from the Chips Ahoy cookies and Kit Kats, I suggest looking at my cookie dough cake balls, Oreo cake in a mug, and waffled cinnamon rolls!
Cookie Dough Cake Pops
Cooking Time: 7-8 minutes
Ingredients:
1. Edible Cookie Dough or Regular Cookie Dough
Price: $2.50
Price: $1.97
Instructions:
1. Roll cookie dough into small ball form (amount optional)
2. Place cookie dough balls in fridge or freezer to chill
3. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 sec. intervals until fully melted
4. Take cookie dough balls out of the freezer and drop them one by one in the melted chocolate
5. Place chocolate covered balls on a plate or parchment paper (optional) and back into the fridge for 2-3 minutes
6. Enjoy!
Dormified Version
(Before I begin rambling about how good these were, I want to put out a disclaimer on how messy the preparation of these cake balls can be. I would recommend having paper towels and a sink nearby because I managed to drip chocolate on everything in the process of making these.) I have always been a fan of cookie dough and cake pops, but this recipe is the best of both worlds! I recently tried the Starbucks cookie dough cake pop which was $1.95 for one cake ball. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great cake pop, but I was able to make 10-20 for the price of 4.47. In terms of taste, my cake pops were a little different compared to the Starbucks version because I used milk chocolate, but they were just as good. I really enjoyed making this dish because it was something everyone could enjoy. Rather than eating it all for myself, I was able to share with my roommate and friends which makes these simple little desserts even sweeter. Overall, I would rate these cookie dough cake pops a 9 out of 10. Despite the uneven chocolate and the messy plate, everyone still found these to be delicious!
TikTok Inspired Oreo Cake n’ a Mug
Estimated Cook Time: 3 minutes
Ingredients:
1. 5 Oreos
Price: $3.67
2. Milk
Price: $1.65
Instructions:
1. Place 5 Oreos in a mug and crush with a fork
2. Pour milk into the mug until the Oreos are lightly covered (approximately 2 tbs)
3. Stir until black batter consistency appears
4. Microwave for 2 minutes
5. Enjoy!
Dormified Oreo Mug Cake
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, this may look like a mug of dirt, but I promise it tastes better than it looks. I was hesitant about this TikTok trend because I was afraid the texture wouldn’t mimic cake, but it’s surprisingly fluffy and moist. Eating this mug cake transported my taste buds to the familiar comfort of a warm cookie dunked in milk and it’s the perfect snack if you’re craving something sweet. For those who enjoy lava cake, this will be the dessert for you. If I had to complain or add a suggestion, I would say that the double stuffed Oreos would probably taste best in this recipe because the flavor of the cookie overpowers the cream stuffing. All in all, this TikTok Oreo cake trend is on to something and I would rate it an 8 out of 10.
Waffled Cinnamon Rolls
Estimated Cook Time: 10 mins (depending on how many you make)
Ingredients:
1. Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Price: $1.23
Instructions:
1. Heat waffle maker until the light turns red
2. Grease waffle maker with butter or spray
3. Take waffle out of tube and place on the waffle maker
4. Close waffle maker and cook for 3-4 minutes
5. Drizzle cream cheese icing while warm
6. Enjoy!
Dormified Waffle Cinnamon Rolls
You guys are probably tired of seeing this waffle maker, but I couldn’t resist showing you these yummy cinnamon waffle rolls. Cinnamon rolls, Cinnabon’s, or anything cinnamon flavored is my all-time favorite. This was my first time making cinnamon rolls in the waffle maker because I was afraid they wouldn’t cook properly, but the waffle maker managed to whip up another win this week. If you press down on the handle and leave them in the waffle maker for 4 minutes, they should be golden brown and ready to be drenched in icing. Whether you’re in a dorm or at home, you can’t go wrong with cinnamon rolls. A good cinnamon roll is hard to come by when you’re on a small campus with slim options to choose from, but thanks to the waffle maker, this ooey-gooey comfort food can be made directly from your room. If you’re interested in saving money, this recipe is great because it only costs $1.23 and makes up to 8 cinnamon rolls. I can’t shut up about how great cinnamon rolls are so I’m going to end this here by giving it a definite 10 out of 10.
Well folks, that’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed these scrumptious desserts and try them out for yourself! Fasten your seatbelts because in next week’s blog we will be traveling to a boot-shaped country in Europe. Any guesses as to where that might be? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading,
Brianna (your amateur dorm room chef)
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I love seeing your comments! What are some of your favorite desserts? What sweet treats would you like to see in a future part 2?
Hi Brianna! I think that soon I will definitely have to invest in a waffle iron and try out some of these recipes over break! These deserts all look delicious and I'm excited to try them out because of how easy they look. Excited to see your next post about a certain European food!
Brianna - This all looks so delicious! I definitely want to try those waffle-maker cinnamon rolls. They are one of my favorite treats to begin with, so I think I'll be asking my mom to pick some up on the way home for a little experiment.