Ever had a craving you just couldn’t kick, like scrumptious Nutella lava chocolate cake? But making a whole cake just for yourself is a nuisance, what with the cooking and cleaning and not to mention all those calories because of course, you have to finish the whole cake! We hear you and understand, so we’re bringing you the recipes for 9 delectable mug snacks – that is, snacks for one (sometimes two), in a mug! You’ll be surprised at how easy and quick it is to make these recipes.
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9 must-try mug snacks
1. Coffee Cup Quiche
No time for breakfast? Not a problem! This recipe shouldn’t take more than a few minutes of your time.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tbsp water/milk
- 1/4 bagel or bread of your liking
- 2tsp cream cheese
- 1/2 slice ham
- Chopped herbs of your liking
Directions:
- Combine your egg and milk (or water) into your favourite coffee cup.
- Add your salt and pepper to taste.
- Now tear bread before adding to egg mixture.
- Stir in your cream cheese.
- Shred ham before adding to mix.
- Press lightly with a fork to ensure bread soaks up the mix.
- Now simply microwave on high for roughly 7–75 seconds till done.
- Garnish to your liking (parsley or oregano go well) and enjoy!
2. French Toast in a Cup
It’s hard to say no to French toast, especially when it’s as easy to make as this one.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- Some melted butter
- 3 Tbsp milk
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
- Some drops of vanilla
- Maple syrup, fresh fruit or another other toppings of your choice.
Directions:
- Heat butter till just melted and swirl to coat the inside of a mug or cup.
- Tear bread into small pieces and drop them into the mug.
- Whisk egg with cinnamon, vanilla and salt, then pour over bread.
- Gently press the bread to absorb the liquid.
- Microwave on high for 1.5 minutes.
- Top with preferred topping.
3. ‘Baked’ Oatmeal in a Mug
So it isn’t technically baked, but it sure does save on time. Bonus: it’s super-healthy!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 of a banana, mashed
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 of an apple, chopped
- 2 tsp honey
Directions:
- Throw in your oats, flax, egg and milk into a mug. Stir.
- Now for the banana, cinnamon, apple and honey. Stir till well mixed.
- Pop into the microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes.
- Fluff a little with your fork before stirring in a little milk.
- You can try adding yoghurt instead of the milk at the end! Doesn’t get much easier than this.
4. Banana Bread in a Mug
Who doesn’t like warm, fragrant banana bread? Try out this simple and quick recipe next time you have a tea-time craving.
Ingredients:
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 3 tbs flour
- 1 tbs + 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tbs milk
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
Directions:
- Grease mug with vegetable oil to start.
- Whisk in flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda.
- Crack in the egg and combine with dry ingredients.
- Drop-in your vanilla, oil, milk and mashed banana.
- In the microwave, it goes, for approximately 3 minutes.
- Set on the counter to cool before tucking in!
5. Mac and Cheese in a Cup
Here’s one for the kids and the adults. An all-time favourite ready in just 5 minutes!
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup pasta
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Directions:
- Get the pasta and water in a mug, microwave on high for two minutes – remove and stir.
- Repeat this step twice more, stirring at 2-minute intervals.
- Use a larger mug for this to prevent excessive spillage when cooking pasta.
- Pasta will now be cooked and the water absorbed.
- Stir in milk and cheese, make sure you get a nice layer of cheese on top.
- Microwave for another minute and dig in!
6. Coffee Cup Chilaquiles
Perfect for a birthday party for your kids or if you’re craving a savoury treat.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1tbsp cheddar cheese
- 5 tortilla chips
- 1 tbsp salsa
- Sour cream
- Chopped spring onion.
Directions:
- In your coffee cup beat together egg and milk.
- Flavour with salt and pepper.
- Add in grated cheddar cheese.
- Break up 4-5 tortilla chips – add to the egg mixture.
- Add salsa.
- Microwave for roughly 75 seconds.
- Garnish with sour cream and spring onions. Simple as that!
7. Nutella Lava Mug Cake
Anyone who tells you they don’t like Nutella is lying. Creamy, chocolatey and nutty it’s the perfect accompaniment to just about anything. It gets even better with this decadent lava cake – all in a cup!
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp self-rising flour
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp Nutella
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tsp chocolate chips
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl.
- Beat well with a whisk until smooth and blended.
- Divide the batter between 3 small microwave-safe mugs, or two medium mugs just 3/4 full.
- Then tip in 1 teaspoon chocolate chips into each cup and push it into the batter until completely covered.
- Microwave on high for anywhere between 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
- The key for the perfect lava cake is not to overcook the batter.
- The cake should rise a bit, ideally with a moist, fluffy, gooey texture, and glossy, fudgy top.
- Decadence in a cup (or 2): as easy as that!
8. Low-fat Cheesecake in a Mug
Cheesecake for one…and low-fat? Could life get any better? We think not!
Ingredients:
- 2.5 tbsp icing sugar
- 2.5 tbsp low fat cream cheese
- 2 tbsp light sour cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice; a small handful fresh or frozen berries
- 1/2 egg beaten well
- 1 biscuit in a zip lock bag to crush.
Directions:
- Beat icing sugar, egg, cream cheese and sour cream till smooth.
- Add berries and lemon juice.
- Spoon into cup or mug.
- Microwave for 1 minute on medium. Once done, check it for doneness (it shouldn’t be cooked).
- Microwave for 45 seconds on medium again. Jiggle it gently, the centre should be slightly wobbly and it will firm up once refrigerated.
- Bash the cookie in the ziplock bag with a rolling pin.
- Sprinkle the cookie crumbs on top of the cheesecake.
- Place cooled cheesecake in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- When cold and set, eat greedily, knowing that this only took you 5 minutes to cook it and it is low fat!
9. Choc-chip Cookie in a Mug
This recipe teaches you to make a simple chocolate chip cookie in a cup.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 3 drops vanilla extract; pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- Scant 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (slightly less than 1/4 of a cup)
- 2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Directions:
- Melt butter.
- Add sugar, salt and vanilla.
- Stir till well combined.
- Add your egg yolk before stirring once more.
- Now fold in your flour.
- Mix in your chocolate chips.
- You should be left with what looks like regular cookie dough.
- Microwave for 40 seconds to a minute (no more than this – you don’t want to overcook it).
- Serve warm and with a chilled glass of milk.
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Do try out some of these super-simple and delectable mug snack ideas and let us know how they turn out. Do you have any mug snack ideas of your own? Share them with us, please!
Photos sourced from: Buzzfeed