Growing up in a conservative Asian family, being a ‘Domestic Goddess’ in the kitchen has always been a childhood dream. Theoretically, it sounds easy—just follow the recipe. Practically, however, I couldn’t be more wrong!
Alas, I have accepted my hopelessness in the baking arena. So I started to exercise my prowess in the ‘No-Bake’ dessert department so I won’t have to deal with ovens. If my struggles sound anything close to your own, here are 10 no-bake dessert recipes for the average domestically challenged Singaporean girl.
This tart can be made from ingredients found at home: Oreos, butter, chocolate, heavy cream and strawberries.
Ingredients:
Crust 32 Oreo cookies (330g), 110g butter, 200g melted chocolate filling, 100g milk chocolate, 100g bittersweet chocolate (55-70% cacao) and 200ml heavy cream
Topping Fresh strawberries (300g) and chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, etc)
Steps:
1. Crush the Oreos into fine crumbs.
2. Mix the Oreo crumbs with melted butter.
3. Using a spoon, press the Oreo mix onto the pan until it forms a thin layer of crust. Freeze it while preparing the filling.
4. Heat the heavy cream and mix it with the chocolate pieces until creamy consistency.
5. Pour the chocolate filling over the Oreo crust and let it set for a few minutes.
6. Decorate the tart with strawberries and freeze it overnight.
If you’re looking for something a little more fancy shmancy, this Kit Kat Caramel Cheesecake is the one for you!
Ingredients:
Crust 10 Kit Kats, 6-7 Honey Graham Crackers and 2 tbsp butter (room temperature)
Filling 685g thawed cream cheese, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup caramel evaporated milk, 228g Cool Whip (room temperature), 1 pack Knox gelatin (dissolved in 6 teaspoons of hot water), 11 Kit Kats broken into solo strips, toasted almond slices and caramel sauce or caramel evaporated milk (for drizzling)
Steps:
1. Pulse the Kit Kat, Graham crackers and butter till they’re mixed well.
2. Use the mixture to form the crust of the cheesecake.
3. Grease the pan.
4. Spread the crust mixture on the pan and press firmly; store it in the refrigerator while the filling is being prepared.
5. Mix the cream cheese, vanilla extract, brown sugar, caramel evaporated milk and gelatin.
6. Gently fold in the cold whip into the mixture.
7. Spread the filling over the crust.
8. Decorate the cheesecake with Kit Kats and almond slices. Refrigerate it for 4-5 hours or overnight. Drizzle some caramel sauce before serving.
This one here is for a quick ‘Pick Me Up’. Made with ingredients you can find at home, this ice cream sandwich is both simple and sweet!
Ingredients: Cookies, ice cream, chocolate chips/rainbow sprinkles or candy of your choice
Steps:
1. Scoop some ice cream and sandwich it between two cookies.
2. Decorate the sides with chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles or any other candy/chocolate of your choice. If going au naturel is your thing, then go ahead and take a big bite as it is!
If you’re looking for on-the-go candy, make these toffee bars in advance and #treatyoself from time to time.
Ingredients: 90 buttery rectangular crackers (from 13.7 oz box), 414 ml sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated), 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk and 330g milk chocolate chips.
Steps:
1. Line your pan with foil before you then spray cooking spray all over. Place the first layer of crackers on the pan.
2. To prepare the caramel mixture, combine the condensed milk, brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; heat to boiling. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Pour a third of the caramel mixture over the crackers in the pan; place the second layer of crackers on top of it. Repeat this process with the remaining crackers and caramel.
4. Microwave chocolate chips and pour it over the caramel. Refrigerate for an hour until it is set.
Cookies are #1 on every girl’s To-Bake list but somehow it always looks better on Pinterest. If you still love these crunchy treats, don’t give up! You can satisfy your cravings with these no-bake Cookie Dough Bars.
Ingredients:
Cookie Dough Bar 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and sprinkles
Topping 1 bag white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup heavy cream and gel food colouring
Steps:
1. Combine brown sugar and softened butter in a large bowl until evenly blended. Add in flour, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Blend until you have a thick dough.
2. Fold in chocolate chips and sprinkles.
3. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper, then spread the dough out evenly in your pan. Make sure to press firmly. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. To make your topping, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a saucepan until it’s melted and creamy. Add a drop of gel food colouring.
5. Take the dough from refrigerator and pour your topping layer over the surface, then add sprinkles to the top.
6. Return to the chiller for another hour, then cut and serve.
Another Oreo recipe that’s definitely sinful but worth the extra calories!
Ingredients: 36 Oreo cookies (370g), 1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (divided), 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Steps:
1. Crush Oreos into fine crumbs.
2. Stir Oreo crumbs with a few tablespoons of melted butter; ensure they’re combined well.
3. Press down the Oreo mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes to set it.
4. Proceed to make the peanut butter mixture. Mix the creamy peanut butter, softened butter and powdered sugar until creamy consistency. Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the Oreo crust and place the mixture back in the freezer until it is set.
5. To make the chocolate sauce topper, heat heavy whipping cream and pour it over the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before whisking it until it’s smooth.
6. Pour the chocolate layer over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate the covered pie for at least 1 hour before serving.
If you’re on a credit crunch and want to make a budget version of an ice cream cake, we’ve gotchu covered fam.
Ingredients: Chocolate ice cream, 5 ice cream sandwiches, 12 crushed Oreo cookies (reserve 1/4 cup for topping), 1/2 jar hot fudge topping and 1 can Reddi-wip or homemade whipped cream (optional)
Steps:
1. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap, and spread a layer of semi-melted ice cream evenly across the bottom.
2. Line ice cream sandwiches on top of the ice cream layer. Ice cream sandwiches are made with just regular ice cream being scooped in between of two biscuits.
3. Spread about half a jar of hot fudge topping on top of the ice cream bars, and then sprinkle on a layer of crushed Oreo cookies. Make sure to reserve about 1/4 cup of the crushed cookies.
4. Add the final layer of chocolate ice cream and fold the plastic wrap over the top. Place in the freezer for about four hours to freeze through.
5. After freezing, lift the entire ice cream cake out of the pan using the plastic wrap and transfer it to a serving platter. Top it off with Reddi-wip or homemade whipped cream and a sprinkling of crushed Oreo cookies.
6. To serve, slice with a knife that’s been dipped in warm water.
If you like your Oreos just as it is, consider remixing it to form some Cookies and Cream Bars.
Ingredients: 45 Oreo cookies (457g), 5 cups large marshmallows and 4 tbsps butter
Steps:
1. Place the Oreos in a food processor and pulse until it is ground.
2. Melt marshmallows and butter in a microwave until it’s puffed, about 1.5- 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the ground Oreo Cookies.
4. Stir the mixture to combine the ingredients.
5. Transfer the mixture to a foil-lined baking pan. Allow it to set for 10 minutes.
6. Remove bars out of the pan with edges of foil and cut them into squares.
This sweet snack could be for when you’re just bored or when you have to bust out a quick dessert after dinner.
Ingredients: Pretzel rods, white chocolate almond bark, milk chocolate almond bark and candy of your choice.
Steps:
1. Chop up your choice of toppings into tiny pieces.
2. Melt either white or milk chocolate and dip your pretzel sticks into it.
3. Sprinkle on your toppings and leave it to set.
4. Using a fork, drizzle more chocolate sauce on it.
Pull out this recipe if you want to really impress someone over dinner. The peanut butter and banana éclair cake not only sounds classy but also looks the part.
Ingredients:
Cake 100g instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 1/2 cups cold milk, 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 container of thawed Cool Whip (228g), 27 graham cracker squares (or 13½ full sheets) and 3 bananas
Frosting 600g unsweetened chocolate, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter, softened, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk (more as needed) and chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (optional).
Steps:
1. Layer the bottom of a pan with Graham crackers.
2. To make the filling, beat the pudding mix with cold milk and mix in the peanut butter. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes before gently folding in the cool whip.
3. Spread half of the pudding mixture on top of the crackers and thinly slice half of the bananas over the pudding mixture.
4. Layer the remaining cracker, pudding mix and banana slices.
5. Finish the cake with a final layer of graham crackers and frost the cake with chocolate frosting. Cover the cake and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
6. Slice and garnish with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups if desired.
Well, there you have it! You may be domestically challenged in certain ways, but that doesn’t stop you from faking it till you make it.
Besides, no one ever said you needed a complicated recipe to be a ‘Domestic Goddess’.
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