As the academic year begins to come to a close, it’s important to remember to treat yourself. A reward for all your hard work throughout the semester is always a nice idea, and there are plenty of places near Elizabethtown College’s campus where you can find delicious desserts to do just that. However, if you’re looking to make something yourself from the comfort of your dorm, here’s a simple recipe for a cinnamon roll in a mug.
For this recipe, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salted butter. You’ll also need a microwave-safe mug, cooking spray or another method of coating the mug and a bowl for mixing.
Start by coating the inside of the mug with cooking spray. Melt a teaspoon of butter. Combine the butter with a quarter cup of flour, a quarter teaspoon of baking powder, two tablespoons of milk, a tablespoon of maple syrup and a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. The batter should be thick, but if it still seems dry, add another one to two teaspoons of milk.
In a separate bowl, mix a tablespoon of brown sugar and a quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon together. Sprinkle into the mug over the top of the batter.
Place the mug into the microwave. Cook it on high for about a minute, and add 10 to 20 seconds if it isn’t finished. Then, grab a fork and dig in!
This recipe was one of the better mug cakes I’ve tried making, since they tend to come out with a strange consistency that I don’t enjoy. However, this one seemed a little more fluffy than gummy.
It tasted pretty good, but would have liked a bit more cinnamon flavor and though the recipe doesn’t call for any sort of icing, drizzling a little canned vanilla frosting on top might add a bit more of the sweetness that I felt it was lacking.
If you don’t have flour on hand, since cooking in a dorm already isn’t the most ideal, you can substitute the flour with pancake mix. Using pancake mix also allows you to leave out the baking powder. You can also swap the melted butter for an equivalent quantity of vegetable oil.
While fun, this recipe doesn’t quite meet the mark of a trip to the Park City mall with some friends to visit the Cinnabon stand. Still, I encourage you to give it a try for yourself!
