4 Creative Hacks to Bake Cookies Without an Oven

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Whether you have a birthday party, a work event, a get-together with family and friends, or you’re just in the mood for some fresh cookies. Everyone needs a working oven to make those disks of deliciousness. Right?

Well, I have some great news for you. Whether you have a broken oven or you’re somewhere without one available, there are still ways for you to bake those cookies.

Let me share four creative ways to bake cookies without an oven. With these hacks, you can enjoy the tasty treat whenever and wherever you crave it.

Of course, cookies aren’t the only thing you can bake without an oven. So, be sure to learn how to bake cakes without an oven, too!

There’s Always Another Way to Get It Done!

The typical way of baking cookies is by sticking spoonfuls of dough in the oven until they reach that ideal warm, chewy, cakey, or crisped perfection – whichever way you like it best!

But, when you can’t use an oven, there are some simple hacks you can use. Here are four techniques for “baking” that batch of cookies, without ever using an oven.

1 – Microwave Cookies

Microwaves are a great time saver that can be used to cook so many things. Yes, even cookies!

It’s fast and it works wonders for our favorite snack. You’ll just need to adjust your cookie dough recipe a bit to get the best results when baking in the microwave.

First, you’ll usually want to eliminate ingredients such as eggs, chocolate chips, butterscotch, or any flavored candies. Why, you ask? 

Well, there are a couple of reasons why you need to keep these ingredients away.

One reason is to prevent the ingredients from separating while cooking in the microwave. The other reason is so you don’t end up with a mixed bag of cold and scorched chocolate chips.

Microwaves save a lot of time, but they don’t always distribute heat evenly.

Still, it doesn’t mean you can only make plain, unflavored cookies using the microwave. You can add flavor using ingredients like cocoa powder and cinnamon.

Maybe even some graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow bits? Be creative and come up with your own concoctions. You may just discover a new favorite!

To make cookies, line your microwave-safe plate with parchment paper to prevent your snack from sticking to the microwave. Then, nuke your cookie dough for 45 to 90 seconds.

The actual cooking time may depend on your microwave oven’s power, age, and condition. So, keep an eye on them and check with a toothpick to be sure that they’re cooking thoroughly.

When you find out what works best for your recipe and your microwave, take note for next time so there’s no guessing needed.

Don’t forget to learn about the best ways to store your cookies after cooking!

2 – Crock Pot Cookies

Believe it or not, you can make delectable cookies in your crock pot. Check out the short video below to see how it’s done.

Unlike microwave cookies, you won’t need to tweak your ingredients from your regular cookie dough recipe. Chocolate chips, eggs, and butterscotch are on the table again!

You may just need to make adjustments to your settings to get the same results, based on the size, power, and condition of the crock pot you have available.

1. First, line the bottom of your crock pot with aluminum foil to form a bowl shape (this trick will help the cookie dough bake evenly).
2. Spray the foil with cooking oil and then spread your dough (prepared as you normally would if baking) evenly over the foil.
3. The most common suggestion is to cover the crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
4. When you get to the last 30 minutes, adjust your lid, leaving it slightly ajar.
5. Lift the foil edges to remove your cookie from the crock pot and let it cool. 

At this point, you can cut your giant cookie into whatever size and shape you fancy. Feed the crowd, and watch their stunned look as you reveal your crock pot secret!

3 – Stove Top Cookies

Our third cookie-baking hack uses the stove. Similar to the crock pot cookie, you can prepare the dough as you would if you were going to bake it in the oven.

Stovetop cookies are often compared to pancakes. With that in mind, you can likely imagine how you’re going to go about cooking them.

It’s surprisingly easy and won’t take too much time to make.

1. Start by melting a small amount of butter or margarine in a non-stick skillet set to low heat.
2. Before adding the cookie dough, make sure that the bottom of your skillet is evenly coated with melted butter.
3. Roll tablespoons full of dough into balls and place them into the pan at least two inches apart, like you would on a cookie sheet. 
4. Press the cookies down slightly with a spatula to lightly flatten them, then cover the pan with a lid.
5. Cook the dough for about five minutes, and then flip, flatten, and cover for another five minutes.

Once cooked, remove the cookies from your skillet and allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack. Finally, serve them on a plate and enjoy.

As you likely noticed, a stovetop isn’t the best tool to make cookies for a crowd. So, if you’re serving a party’s worth of treats, you might find the other hacks more practical.

4 – Steamer Cookies

Yes, you read that right—you can use a steamer to make cookies! Believe me. I was just as surprised as you likely are now when I first stumbled upon this hack.

If you enjoy your cookies soft and savory, you’ll surely enjoy this cookie trick. I know plenty of people calling themselves “die-hard soft-cookie lovers” myself.

Here’s how you steam cookies without an oven:

1. Prepare your dough by separating it into even balls and flattening them into 3/4-inch flat disks.
2. Line parchment paper on the inside of your steamer basket as you do when using an oven to avoid a sticky cookie mess.
3. Place your dough over the parchment paper, leaving a few inches of space between the cookies.
4. Set the steamer basket on the stovetop and allow the dough to steam for 15 minutes—or until the cookies feel firm.
5. After steaming, leave the cookies inside the basket for another 5 minutes before serving.

You won’t need to adjust anything in your recipe when steaming cookies. The humidity also helps retain the dough’s moisture, resulting in a pillowy treat of deliciousness.

Give it a whirl if you’re tired of the old crunchy cookies. Trust me, you won’t look at cookies the same after trying them steamed!

Final Thoughts

When you have ooey-gooey cookies on your mind, you can’t help but give in and satisfy that craving. So, I hope these creative hacks will help you get your cookie fix, even when you can’t bake in an oven.

Give these kitchen tricks a try! Who knows. Perhaps crock-pot cookies will be your new favorite way to make cookies. Who wouldn’t love a giant cookie, after all?

Do you lack more than just the oven? Learn what to do when you’re missing some ingredients as well.

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