What better way to enjoy a single-serve cookie than making it quick and easy in a mug with this Cookie in a Mug recipe. Prepare to indulge in the best microwave mug cookie made with chocolate chips. Make this no-bake treat your own with peanut butter, oatmeal, or even white chocolate chips.
Why This Recipe is the Best
This Cookie in a Mug is the ultimate single-serve dessert when you want something sweet fast. Ready in just minutes, it delivers the soft, gooey center of a chocolate chip cookie with the fluffy texture of a mug cake. We love how easy it is to whip up with basic pantry ingredients-no oven, no chill time, just instant satisfaction. It's the perfect treat for late-night cravings or a fun dessert for kids to make on their own.
Be sure to also try our Chocolate Peanut Butter Molten Mug Cake or our Oreo mug cake. .
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Key Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- Brown sugar- I love using brown sugar in cookies to give them that caramel taste. We tested this recipe to get the perfect ratio of brown sugar and granulated sugar for the best flavor and texture.
- Granulated sugar- While I typically only use brown sugar in my chocolate chip cookie recipes, this one really needs a mixture of both types of sugars to have that perfect taste and texture.
- Egg yolk- You only need the egg yolk for this recipe. Make sure to save the egg white in an air-tight container and use it for breakfast the next morning.
- Chocolate chips- The perfect amount of chocolate chips for this recipe makes it just right. You can also substitute white chocolate chips, mint chips, or even peanut butter chips.
How to Make a Cookie in a Mug
Use these process shots to help get the results you want. The pictures can help with texture and be a visual guide for best results.
- Begin by melting the butter in a microwave-safe mug.
- Add the egg yolk, brown and white sugar, and vanilla.
- Mix until a smooth liquid is formed.
- Next, add the flour and the chocolate chips and mix it with the sugar, egg, and butter mixture.
Hint: Have fun with this! Try white chips, peanut butter chips, toffee bits and more!
I love my chocolate chip cookies to have more brown sugar than white sugar, and I tested this cookie repeatedly, but it always turned out better with equal amounts of white and brown sugar.
Top tip
It can be a touch salty, but 1/16 teaspoon of salt is not enough. What I like to do is measure just shy of ⅛ teaspoon for the perfect amount. If you like salty-sweet, use the full ⅛ teaspoon.
Recipe
Cookie in a Mug
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt butter until mostly melted in a mug for 20 seconds. Add brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, salt and egg yolk. Use a fork and stir until well combined. Mix in flour, then stir in most of the chocolate chips. Top with remaining chocolate chips.
- Microwave 45-60 seconds until cookie is puffy and matte on top. 50 seconds was perfect in my microwave. Allow to cool for a few minutes then enjoy! This is extra delicious topped with ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce.
Notes
- replace all sugar with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Then use 2 ½ Tablespoons flour and 3 Tablespoons oats. Follow all other directions and measurements above. I found it needed to cooke about 10-15 seconds longer.
- use 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar and ½ Tablespoon brown sugar for the sugars. Reduce flour to 2 Tablespoons and add 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder. Follow all other directions and measurements above. I found it baked in the same amount of time as the original. It's absolutely delicious! Try this one with peanut butter chips for some extra fun.
- Store leftovers for up to 1 day in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. This cookie is best hot and fresh though!
- It can be a touch salty, but 1/16 teaspoon of salt is Not enough. What I like to do is measure just shy of ⅛ teaspoon for the perfect amount. If you like salty sweet, use the full ⅛ teaspoon.
Nutrition
Substitutions
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- Almond Flour- Make this a gluten-free cookie by adding your favorite brand of almond flour. This cuts the carbs down, which makes this a more keto-friendly option.
- No Butter - If you want to skip the butter, you totally can. We like the taste the butter adds to this recipe, and don't recommend it, but if you need to for dietary reasons or you don't have butter on hand, you can substitute butter and take out ½ tablespoon of flour.
- Toffee Bits - For a caramel taste, use toffee bits mixed with the chocolate chips or just toffee bits on their own.
- White Chocolate or Peanut Butter Chips- Instead of milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips, use white chocolate chips.
- Cookie Butter- Mix in 1 tablespoon of cookie butter to give it a tasty Biscoff flavor.
- Without Brown Sugar- We really like the taste that brown sugar adds to chocolate chip cookies, but you can use all white sugar if you want to.
Chocolate Mug Cake
Do you want all the chocolate goodness? For this chocolate mug cake, use 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar and ½ Tablespoon brown sugar for the sugars. Make sure you reduce the flour to 2 Tablespoons. Instead, you will add 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder.
Follow all other directions and measurements as normal. You can microwave this mug dessert the same amount of time as the original recipe.
This variation is so good. I loved it so much. Make it even more tasty by adding peanut butter chips.
Oatmeal Mug Cake
To make an oatmeal mug cake, don't use white sugar and use 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Then use 2 ½ Tablespoons flour and 3 Tablespoons oats. Follow the measurements for the other ingredients and directions as normal. I found that cooking it for 10-15 seconds longer does the trick.
Helpful Hints
This can be too salty if you add ⅛ teaspoon, but we also found that 1/16 teaspoon is not enough salt. Measure out a little shy of ⅛ teaspoon and you'll hit that perfect sweet spot.
Don't overcook this mug cake. It will become dry and spongy if you over-microwave it. If it looks a little wet on top after the suggested time, it's cooked perfectly. As it cools, it continues to cook, making for the perfect texture.
Have fun with this recipe! Make it your own by adding in your favorite type of chips, toffee bits, or even marshmallows. It's a really versatile recipe that everyone can have fun making.
My kids love making their own creations. It's a great way to let your kids have a creative say without a huge mess. A family-friendly dessert for sure.
Storage
Once cooked, you can store this in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 1 day. It's not preferred because it tastes so much better when it's fresh from the microwave, hot and gooey.
You can also freeze it once it's cooked. Freeze in an air-tight freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months. Again, it's designed to be eaten right away for a fun, quick snack!
Andrea says
I'm all about single serve desserts, especially when the kids go to sleep and I don't have to share! This Cookie in a mug is so good. It has a more cake like consistency but that makes sense because it's cooked in the microwave. I loved the chocolate and oatmeal variations!