Categories
Breakfast Dessert Microwave

Beat the heat with a yummy microwaved dessert

If you’re looking for a very quick dessert or topping for ice cream or oatmeal, all you need is an apple and a few simple ingredients, along with a microwave oven.

Earlier this week, I made a fabulous apple cake. (I promise to share the recipe with you in an upcoming column.)

I realized after I peeled and diced all my apples, though, that I had more than the recipe called for, and while I put a few extras into the batter, I was a little nervous I was going to mess up the apple-to-cake ratio.

So then I had to decide what to do with a small bowl of extra apples. Thank goodness the Internet had an idea for me, and it was a delicious one at that.

The recipe I used comes from the blog “Salad in a Jar” by Paula Rhodes. You can find the original post at https://saladinajar.com/recipes/desserts/fruit/apples-in-a-bag/#recipe. I added extra cinnamon and cornstarch in my version.

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Microwave Cinnamon Apples

If you’re looking for a very quick dessert or topping for ice cream or oatmeal, all you need is an apple and a few simple ingredients, along with a microwave oven.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword apple, cinnamon, cooking for one, cooking for two, dessert for one, dessert for two, easy dessert, Granny Smith apples, ice cream topping, microwave cooking, oatmeal topping, quick dessert

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized apple I used Granny Smith
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

  • Core and cut up your apple into bite-sized pieces (I diced mine). You can peel it or not, depending on your preferences.
  • Put the cut apple into a microwave-safe bowl.
  • Add in the sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water and stir to ensure all the apple pieces are well coated.
  • Loosely cover the bowl (I put a plate over the top of mine), and microwave on high for two minutes. If the apples are not fork tender, continue microwaving, 30 seconds at a time, until they reach your desired level of tenderness.
  • Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave, give the apples a stir and eat them as is or over ice cream, oatmeal, yogurt, etc.

This was really tasty, and it was a great summer dessert that I definitely won’t forget to use in the future, since it doesn’t heat up the kitchen. It basically makes a very nice, lightly sweet glazed apple.

I wished I had some ice cream in the freezer when I ate them. They would have been fabulous on a bowl of vanilla.

But they were also delicious on their own, and I have to admit that I didn’t save any for Joey to try, since he was out and about while I was doing my experimenting. I suppose there have to be some perks when you’re the one in the kitchen.

The nice thing, though, is I can easily make these again if we’re ever craving something sweet. And I’ll always know from now on what to do in the event of extra apples.

This piece first appeared in print on June 20, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Cookies Dessert

‘Micro’save yourself some time baking fresh cookies

Strangely enough, this chocolate chip cookie was made in the microwave. It comes together easily and is a good way to enjoy a sweet treat without making dozens of cookies.

When I was little, my dad would wake up early every morning, pack his lunchbox and head out for work.

I probably wouldn’t have cared at all about what was in that black plastic box if it weren’t for the Tupperware bowl of sandwich cookies in the pantry. Dad would normally toss a couple into the lunchbox for a sweet ending to what I’m assuming was a meal of a bologna sandwich.

For me, the bowl represented a clandestine mission to sneak a treat every once in awhile. This worked out well for me until my younger sister discovered my scheme, and I had to include her in my raids in exchange for her silence.

To her credit, she never ratted me out—on purpose—but her method of eating any chocolate cookie usually ended with a ring of crumbs around her mouth that Mom astutely noticed every time. In later years, we’d get away with sneaking a cookie or two when we’d come home from school to enjoy while we completed homework assignments.

This week, my mind was blown when I realized we could have gotten away with an even tastier snack if only we had known that you can bake a chocolate chip cookie in the microwave.

The recipe I tried out this week came from an online video from John Nonny of “The Pun Guys.” You can find him on Facebook at facebook.com/johnnonnyofficial/. I added extra milk and a dash of salt in my version.

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Microwave Cookie

Strangely enough, this chocolate chip cookie was made in the microwave. It comes together easily and is a good way to enjoy a sweet treat without making dozens of cookies.
Course Dessert
Keyword baking for one, chocolate chips, cookies, easy cookie, microwave cooking, single-serve dessert

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • dash of salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, melt the butter. Mix in the brown sugar until it is well incorporated, and add in the milk, flour and salt. Continue mixing until the mixture comes together into a dough. It should be Play-Doh consistency—not dry and crumbly but also not too sticky to handle. If the dough won’t come together, mix in just tiny splash of milk until it does. If it is too sticky, mix in just a tiny bit of flour until you can roll it in your hands.
  • Once you reach the desired consistency, fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Place the dough onto a small piece of parchment paper on a microwave-safe plate and press it down into a circle until it is about one-half inch thick.
  • Place in the microwave and cook on high for one minute. Allow the cookie to cool a bit before enjoying.

Was this the best cookie I have ever had? Nope. I can definitely make vastly superior batches in the oven.

However, it was a pretty darn good cookie overall, and between mixing and “baking,” I was able to accomplish it in under five minutes. I’m definitely going to keep that in mind the next time I am craving something sweet but don’t want to bake an entire batch of a dessert.

I also thought this recipe would be great for kids to help make when Santa comes in a few months. This would be the perfect type of cookie to dip in a glass of milk.

Overall, I’m glad my sister and I didn’t know that we could make cookies with only our microwave. I’m sure we would have gotten in even more trouble. I mean, if the kid couldn’t keep cookie crumbs off her face, who knows what would have happened with gooey chocolate chips. (Sorry, Sis.)

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 6, 2022.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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