17 no-mixer recipes for basic, breezy baking
No-mixer required for these cookies, cakes, and more.
Sometimes, you just want a quick, easy recipe — that's where Bake It Easy comes in. These recipes are low-fuss: made in a short amount of time, rely on basic ingredients, mixed entirely by hand, or come together in one bowl. When you need something simple but still want to bake, we've got you.
Maybe you don't own a mixer. Or maybe you just don't want to haul yours out (and clean it). We've got you: These no-mixer recipes can be prepared entirely by hand (and bonus, many of them use just one or two bowls). From cookies to cakes to even brioche (!), these recipes are designed for every kitchen and every baker.
1) King Arthur’s Favorite Fudge Cake
There’s no creaming butter required to make this dense, fudgy cake. Instead, melting the butter makes the batter easy to whisk together. The icing is equally simple; it’s made by heating cocoa powder, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and yogurt or buttermilk on the stove, then pouring over the entire cake.
Get the recipe: King Arthur’s Favorite Fudge Cake
Shop the recipe: Bensdorp Cocoa Powder
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Cake, Simple and Rich Chocolate Cake
2) Brownie Cookies
Both the brownie batter and the cookie dough in this dessert hybrid are made with melted butter, which means you can mix them entirely by hand. The result is a mashup of fudgy brownie and chewy chocolate chip cookie, all in a convenient handheld dessert.
Get the recipe: Brownie Cookies
Shop the recipe: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Espresso Brownie Cookies, Brownie Bites
3) Quick and Easy Vanilla Cake
The name of this recipe says it all — this cake comes together with just a few minutes of whisking, as it’s made with melted butter, hot milk, and eggs. The result is a classic, nostalgic yellow cake that's likely to trigger fond childhood memories. (For a mixer-free frosting, try Chocolate Ganache or Fudge Frosting.)
Get the recipe: Quick and Easy Vanilla Cake
Shop the recipe: Round Parchment Paper
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Golden Vanilla Cake, Vanilla Cake Pan Cake
4) Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Made with melted butter, these hand-mixed cookies are a cinch to make. Extra-soft and chewy, they pack a sharp lemony punch in every bite.
Get the recipe: Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Shop the recipe: Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Lemon-Coconut Cookies, Double Lemon Thumbprints
5) Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cake
This cake is like a cinnamon-sugar-encrusted snickerdoodle in cake form, with a handful of chocolate chips sprinkled in — because everything is better with a little chocolate. The entire thing is mixed by hand in one bowl, so it only takes about 10 minutes to throw together.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Cake
Shop the recipe: Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Pistachio Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, Whipped Cream Dream Cake
6) Quick and Easy Fudge Brownies
This is one of our long-time favorite brownie recipes. It's an easy one-bowl recipe: There’s no melting chocolate or combining wet and dry ingredients separately. Simply stir everything together in a single bowl — that’s it! And it makes a reliably moist, fudgy pan of brownies that rivals anything from a box.
Get the recipe: Quick and Easy Fudge Brownies
Shop the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Fudge Brownies, Deep-Dark Fudgy Brownies
7) Whole Grain Banana Bread
Another one-bowl recipe, this nostalgic quick bread uses plenty of bananas (five of them!) for a super-soft crumb and fruity flavor complemented by the brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in the batter.
Get the recipe: Whole Grain Banana Bread
Shop the recipe: Golden Wheat Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Banana Bread, Sneaky Shortcut Banana Bread
8) Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
When our Test Kitchen developed this maximalist recipe — our 2024 Recipe of the Year — they wanted it to be as accessible as possible, without the need for any special equipment. So they created a cookie dough that could be entirely mixed by hand, all in one bowl with just a whisk. The resulting cookies are (true to their name) huge, with a deep, caramelly flavor and plenty of chopped chocolate studded throughout. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to chill!
Get the recipe: Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shop the recipe: Scone and Muffin Scoop and Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Wafers
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Joy's Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans, Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
9) Flourless Fudge Cookies
These deep-dark, super chocolatey cookies are made from just a handful of ingredients, primarily confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and egg whites. Mixed in just five minutes with a whisk, they transform into decadent cookies with the taste and consistency of fudge brownies.
Get the recipe: Flourless Fudge Cookies
Shop the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend and Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Fudge Drops, Espresso Brownie Cookies
10) Just Peachy Peach Muffins
This recipe is part of our Bake it Easy: Summer collection, which includes fruit-forward recipes that require little effort while delivering big flavor. In this recipe, diced fresh peaches are folded into a batter made with pantry staples including oil, milk, flour, brown sugar, and spices. A sprinkle of coarse sparkling sugar before baking creates a craggy, crunchy crown for the tender muffin beneath.
Get the recipe: Just Peachy Peach Muffins
Shop the recipe: Sparkling Sugar
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Easy Peach Cobbler, Sticky Bun Banana Muffins
11) Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Gooey, soft, and chewy, this skillet cookie veers into blondie territory in the best way possible. Because it’s made with melted butter, there’s no mixer required to make the batter; that melted butter is also the secret to this skillet cookie’s shiny, crackly top.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Shop the recipe: Field No.8 Skillet
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Maple Tahini Chocolate Skillet Cake, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
12) Strawberry Swirl No-Knead Brioche
A stand mixer is typically necessary to make brioche dough because of its sticky consistency and the need for ample gluten development to support the butter and eggs in the dough. But here’s a buttery brioche that’s made without a mixer; in fact, it’s made without any kneading at all. Inside the loaf is also a bright swirl of sweet strawberry jam, making this a bread fit for summer baking.
Get the recipe: Strawberry Swirl No-Knead Brioche
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Quick Bread Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Cherry Brioche, Faux-Laminated Maple Brioche Buns
13) Cute and Small Chocolate Cake
This cute 6" cake is mixed by hand and comes together in about 15 minutes, making it perfect for a last-minute pick-me-up or intimate celebration. As reviewer Karen says: “King Arthur has given us a lot of fabulous recipes over the years, but this has to be one of the very best. So easy to make and so chocolatey with a lovely, moist crumb.”
Get the recipe: Cute and Small Chocolate Cake
Shop the recipe: 6" Round Layer Cake Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Molten Chocolate Mini Cakes, German Chocolate Mini Cakes
14) Lemon Puff Pancake with Fresh Berries
This light-as-air treat, often called a Dutch baby, is one of those magical recipes that's much easier than it appears. An unassuming combination of flour, milk, and eggs is poured into a pan, and 20 minutes later emerges as a giant golden puff, awaiting a final anointing of lemon juice and sugar. Part popover, part crêpe, part pancake, it combines the best aspects of all three.
Get the recipe: Lemon Puff Pancake with Fresh Berries
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Round Cake Pan
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Herbed Parmesan Dutch Baby, Rye Puff Pancake with Greens and Eggs
15) Everyday Olive Oil Cake
While many of the recipes on this list rely on melted butter to avoid an electric mixer, this plush cake instead turns to olive oil, which lends ample moisture as well as fruity, grassy flavor. Gently glowing with the oil’s electric hue, each delicate slice yields easily under a fork. A simple garnish of whipped cream is all that’s needed, but topping with spoonfuls of macerated fruit would also be excellent.
Get the recipe: Everyday Olive Oil Cake
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Round Cake Pan and Round Parchment Paper
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, Olive Oil Bundt Cake
16) Loaded Chocolate Chip Blondies
The best blondies are dense and chewy, and these are no exception due to the inclusion of brown sugar and melted butter. Customize them with your favorite combination of nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, butterscotch chips, or crushed toffee bits.
Get the recipe: Loaded Chocolate Chip Blondies
Shop the recipe: Golden Wheat Flour
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Blondies, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Blondies
17) Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Mayo in cake? Trust us. This time-tested secret replaces the eggs and oil in the hand-whisked, one-bowl cake batter. Not only does the mayo cut down on your effort, but it also yields a rich, super-moist chocolate cake. (And don’t worry — you can’t taste the mayo in the finished cake!)
Get the recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Shop the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend
If you like this recipe, you may also like: Chocolate Cake, Moist Chocolate Cake
Looking for more easy baking recipes? See our collection of Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Fewer.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
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