If you don’t have an oven for baking, you’re not alone. Many people don’t have ovens, too. A majority of them will spend on the kitchen basics: a rice cooker, refrigerator, a stovetop and maybe a microwave or an oven toaster. But not everyone has the funds or space to accommodate a full-fledged oven.

So if you want to bake cookies but don’t have an oven, should you give up on your cookie dreams?

If you’ve got a frying pan, you don’t have to.

Almost every home has a stove; even if you live at a hostel in London City Centre, you are most likely to have a stove nearby. Put your stove to better use by cooking your favourite cookies on it.

Baking Cookies in a Frying Pan

If you wish to bake cookies in a pan, use a non-stick frying pan. Even if you add more butter to the pan, the cookie will still stick. A non-stick pan can easily resolve this dilemma.

Also, the idea with baking cookies in a frying pan is that you want the cookie to cook all the way through without burning the bottom. To do so, use the lowest heat setting on your stove. Refrain from increasing the heat to speed up the baking process. You might end up with unevenly baked cookies — burnt at the bottom and undone on top. This means you should also preheat your pan as you would if you cook the cookies in an oven.

When baking your cookies in a pan, always check the bottom of the cookie to make sure it’s not browning faster. Once the sides of your cookies are brown and the tops are no longer shiny, remove them using a flat spatula and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

What Kind of Cookie Dough Should You Use?

The best kind of dough for stove baking is the chilled ones. When you use chilled cookie dough balls, you prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the pan. It also results in taller and chunkier-looking cookies that look as if you baked them in an oven.

Baking chilled cookie dough also keeps the centre of the dough soft while the bottom cooks, resulting in soft-batch cookies. If you want your cookies to be firmer, don’t chill the dough. Bake it immediately and for a little longer.

Be Mindful and Patient

When it comes to baking cookies in a pan, you have to practice two things: mindfulness and patience.

Patience because stovetop cookies take a longer time to cook compared to oven-baked cookies. Expect that you might burn the bottom of some of your cookies, especially if you are just beginning with this baking hack.

Also, be mindful. You have to regulate the heat so you wouldn’t burn the cookie or undercook it.

You don’t need a baking oven to enjoy your cookies. With a frying pan, your cookie lover self can indulge.