15 Baking Recipes You Can Make in Under an Hour—Cooling Time Included

Satisfy your sweet tooth fast with these skillet cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and more.

Collection of molten chocolate cupcakes on a cutting board some topped with frosting and garnishes one is cut open to reveal the inside — Credit:
Yuki Sugiura

Are unexpected guests dropping by, or do you just need a homemade treat right now? Whatever the reason, these quick baking recipes will satisfy your sweet tooth fast. All are easy to make and ready to eat in less than an hour. While many baking recipes take less than 60 minutes to make, they generally need time to bake and cool, so they aren’t ready to decorate or eat for over an hour.

If you want a baked good fast, opt for these tried-and-tested recipes. They include muffins, scones, cookies, skillet cookies, oven-baked pancakes, cupcakes, and other must-bake recipes.

01 of 15

Fast Raspberry Scones

Plate of raspberry scones with a pink cloth in the background — Jacob Fox

They're ready in just 30 minutes, and you can—and should—enjoy them while they're still warm. Plus, these fruity scones are delightfully easy to make at home.

02 of 15

Mini Banana Muffins

Banana muffins on a marble tray topped with banana slices — Grant Webster

Good things come in small packages, and mini muffins bake up fast. Forget banana bread, these treats are the best (and cutest) use for overripe bananas.

03 of 15

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Bryan Gardner

What could be better than a giant skillet cookie? This one is deeply chocolately, crispy on the edges, and soft and gooey in the center. It's ready in 35 minutes, but needs about 10 more to cool before it's devoured.

04 of 15

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Easy PB Cookies — Grant Webster

Classic, quick, and simple to make, these cookies have a short ingredient list and are big on peanut butter flavor.

05 of 15

Classic Dutch Baby

Dutch baby pancake topped with mixed berries and cream set in a pan with accompaniments — Jacob Fox

Puffed and golden, this big pancake is the ultimate brunch treat. Drizzle it with maple syrup and enjoy while it's still hot, or serve with berries and whipped Greek yogurt.

06 of 15

5-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack and on a plate with a napkin — Jake Sternquist

They're seriously good, gluten-free, and ready in about 20 minutes flat.

07 of 15

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles — Jake Sternquist

These favorite cinnamon-scented cookies are easy to make. The dough doesn't need any chilling, so you can make them from start to finish in just over 30 minutes. Then try not to watch them as they cool, because it won't make time go any faster.

08 of 15

Easy One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Easy One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes — Jacob Fox

For a truly speedy dessert, skip the frosting on these chocolate cupcakes. It's not that the frosting takes a while to make; it's because the cupcakes need to be cooled completely before you can frost them. So when time is important, skip the topping and enjoy the treats sooner.

09 of 15

Mummy's Sweet White Scones

mummy's sweet white scones — Julia Hartbeck

These fluffy scones take just a little longer to make than our fast raspberry ones. They are so rich and delicate that they don't need raisins, chocolate chips, or other additions. A slather of butter and jam, or clotted cream with jam, is the way to go. Enjoy them while they're still warm, because there is nothing like a scone that's fresh from the oven.

10 of 15

Molten Chocolate-Espresso Cakes

ed-b-molten-chocolate-cake-frosted-cutting-board-411-d111666.jpg — Yuki Sugiura

There's much to recommend these cupcake-like chocolate-espresso cakes. They're fast and easy (though they don't look it), and they're great for company or just whenever you need a chocolate fix. Serve them plain for speed or topped with a little ganache and a sprinkling of pistachios or (our favorite) flaky sea salt.

11 of 15

Old-Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies

Several sugar cookies arranged on a surface one partially broken — Jason Donnelly

These oversized cookies are classic chewy sugar cookies with plenty of lemon flavor. The recipe is simple, and we use a mixer to speed up making them.

12 of 15

Maple Bran Muffins

Maple Bran Muffins recipe — Chris Simpson

Better-tasting and better-for-you, these bran muffins are sweetened with maple syrup, tenderized with yogurt, and bake up light and fluffy in just 30 minutes.

13 of 15

Honey Lace Cookies

Perhaps our fastest bake, these crisp, delicate cookies only need about 6 minutes in the oven. They are the perfect complement to a cup of Earl Grey or a scoop or two of ice cream.

14 of 15

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

No mixing bowl is needed for these crunchy, sweet treats. They are assembled in the pan they are baked in; a layer of graham crackers is topped with crushed toffee bits and almonds, then with a butter-sugar mixture before baking. Once the sugar topping is bubbling, they are finished with a layer of chocolate and flaky salt.

15 of 15

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

skillet chocolate chip cookie — Lennart Weibull

Our chocolate chip skillet cookie recipe only requires one bowl and a wooden spoon. It’s an easy treat that’s faster than making a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies. Bring the skillet to the table for everyone to dig in. Scoops of ice cream on top are optional but recommended.

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