How To Make Cookies Without Using Your Oven

It's the fall season, and right now nothing sounds better than a warm, gooey cookie to share with your best friends. 

Unfortunately, as a student who lives in a dorm, my kitchen supplies are very limited. All I have is a pot and pan for everyday cooking needs, because frankly, that's about all I have space for.

Many students share this same struggle, and by looking at the equipment I have at my disposal, you would think that making cookies would be near impossible. Well, after craving cookies for weeks, my roommate came up with a foolproof plan to have a delicious cookie: the "pan cookie."

Here is how you make a batch of 12 decadent pan cookies in under thirty minutes:

1. Grab your ingredients

The good thing about this recipe is the only ingredients you need are cookie dough and cooking spray. We used pre-made cookie dough, because since we are students proudly living in dorm life, we don't have a mixing bowl or a rubber spatula.

We used Nestle White Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough, but you can use any cookie dough you want for this how-to. Anything from classic chocolate chip to creamy peanut butter, this cookie hack will work regardless! 

2. Pull out your pan

In order to make mouthwatering pan cookies, you need a pan! Make sure your pan is non-stick, because the last thing you want is to spend your whole night trying to scrub burnt cookie bits off your pan. Also, make sure you bring a spatula and lid to cover the cookies while they're cooking, so they retain heat and cook evenly.

3. Start assembling your cookies

The cool thing about getting pre-made cookie dough is that they come in divided into perfectly-sized chunks. You can just tear a piece off, roll it up into a ball, and flatten it into whatever size you like. For reference, the pan cookies we made were about 2 inches across, and we fit about 4-6 cookies in a pan at a time.

However, depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to fit more or less in. Also around this time, turn your stove onto low-medium heat (on 3 or 4 on the knob). 

4. Cook!

Make sure to spray the bottom of the pan with your cooking spray, and place your cookies on the pan carefully. Once you've arranged the cookies on the pan, place a lid over them and leave them for 5 minutes. Once 5 minutes has passed, flip them over with your spatula and cover them for another 5 minutes.

They should be golden brown once they're done, and you can place them on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any grease while they cool. In the meantime, you can make batches of four cookies every 10 minutes.

5. Time to Eat!

After letting your pan cookies cool, you can start to dig in! Your cookie should be crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and all-around delicious. After trying these pan cookies, you might as well forget about your oven, because my roommate and I sure have!