Baking treats without baking people

June 2, 2008 2:10 PM

Looking for a way to bake some treats without baking the entire apartment.

I love to bake, but now it's getting hot and my tiny kitchen doesn't disperse heat well. If the oven is at 400 F, it's going to make the place hotter. I know about berry parfaits and other fruity summer desserts, but I like to bake. Anyone have recipes that either don't use the oven (stove seems to not heat the rest of the place as much, so crepes are an option) or keep it at a low temperature?

posted by melissam to food & drink (25 comments total)

No bake cookies - Love 'em. (Note that you cook a little on your stove-top. They're not 'no cook' cookies.)
posted by unixrat at 2:20 PM on June 2, 2008

There are some cheesecake recipes you don't have to bake...google turned up about a billion sites for that. And I also found this
posted by PossumCupCake at 2:21 PM on June 2, 2008

FAIL! lets try again.

Here.
posted by PossumCupCake at 2:22 PM on June 2, 2008

There are quite a few good non-oven recipes about. My personal secret weapon is this chocolate torte which generally leaves people thinking I'm some kind of culinary god.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:23 PM on June 2, 2008

I use our toaster oven a lot in the summer when I can't stand having the whole oven on. Shoot, I use it all year if what I'm making can fit in there.
posted by advicepig at 2:24 PM on June 2, 2008

You can bake cakes in a crockpot.
posted by amyms at 2:27 PM on June 2, 2008

How about a toaster oven? Still gets hot, but not as much heat into your kitchen.
posted by Class Goat at 2:29 PM on June 2, 2008

If you're feeling really ambitious, you can make this crepe cake.
posted by neroli at 2:32 PM on June 2, 2008

I used to have a book on microwave cake-baking... I think this was back in the 80s though, and I don't remember ever having the courage to try...
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:33 PM on June 2, 2008

I've made chocolate chip cookies just fine in the toaster oven.
posted by chips ahoy at 2:43 PM on June 2, 2008

I agree that no-bake cheesecakes are easy and delicious.
Also, you can make mini cream pies with just pre-made pie crusts, chocolate pudding and whipped cream!
posted by lintacious at 2:50 PM on June 2, 2008

Last summer we just had one window AC unit for the really hot days. To try and make the most of the cold air I put a tarp up over the door/passage between the living room and kitchen. Not exactly the most stylish but it did a decent job of keeping the cool air in the living room and hot air (made worse when cooking with the stove) in the kitchen.
posted by Captain_Science at 3:06 PM on June 2, 2008

Crockpot bread pudding. So damned good you won't believe it. If you want some recipes send me an email or memail or whatever those newfangled things are called.
posted by idest at 3:42 PM on June 2, 2008

Meringue cookies often don't require a high cook temp. Many recipes call for 200° F. Alternatively, some meringue recipes call for a relatively high initial temperature (>400° F), but then you immediately turn the oven off after putting in the meringues.
posted by sentient at 3:51 PM on June 2, 2008

Definitely explore the toaster oven. I've done lots of toaster oven baking - chocolate chip cookies, apple tart (puff pastry, sugar glaze, and all), even small cakes, and it works wonderfully. You can get bakeware made especially for toaster ovens - tiny cookie sheets, 6 little muffins, etc.
posted by boomchicka at 4:40 PM on June 2, 2008

Pudding cake or spoon cake in a slow cooker.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:48 PM on June 2, 2008

Hmm, what would a "hobnob" biscuit be exactly?
posted by yodelingisfun at 5:06 PM on June 2, 2008

Icebox Cake.
posted by amanda at 5:15 PM on June 2, 2008

Pavlova. The meringue only requires 250 degrees to cook, which is better than most "baked" things... and cream/fruit on top is tasty in the summer.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 6:26 PM on June 2, 2008

The toaster oven method would probably work for the best chocolate cookies in the world.
posted by neroli at 7:01 PM on June 2, 2008

Bake them in your car.
posted by Xere at 9:52 PM on June 2, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Look for 'refrigerator cookie' recipes. Basically, you make the dough, roll it up into a cylinder, and put it in the refrigerator. When you are ready for cookies, you slice a few and bake them in the toaster oven.

They are also called 'icebox cookies' sometimes.
posted by Xazeru at 9:49 AM on June 3, 2008

I try to avoid the oven, not just because it gets hot, but because I tend to burn things. Come to think of it, I should stay away from the stove too.

Paula Deen's Banana Pudding is my all-time favorite recipe. Everyone begs me to make it when we have pot-lucks at work. And then my boyfriend insists I make double-amount so he can bring some to work. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I use Paula's basic recipe, but I try to lighten it up a bit. I go with 2% milk, light cream cheese, and fat-free cool-whip. Chessmen cookies are the best, but you could probably use Nilla wafers too. Also, I've made it in little plastic cups for bake sales, using the mini-Chessmen. This recipe is best when you let it sit overnight so all the flavors meld and mush together. Oh also, it says to use an electric mixer but you can just use a whisk if you don't have one.
posted by radioamy at 10:25 AM on June 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Delicious one minute molten chocolate muffins from Foodbeam, cooked in the microwave!
posted by lioness at 1:51 AM on June 4, 2008

as a follow up: a new site about Toaster oven cooking via Ruhlman. I'm going to give the toaster oven a try this summer.
posted by melissam at 12:57 PM on June 17, 2008