Dorm life is hard. You share a small room, your mom doesn’t cook for you anymore, the dining hall food gets boring, everyone hogs the showers, and you don’t have a kitchen. There’s no oven or stove. All you have is a shared microwave and a refrigerator if you’re lucky.
Eventually you (and by you I mean I) end up sitting in your dorm cursing the day you decided a dorm would be a fun experience because you can’t even bake a simple batch of chocolate chip cookies. So you settle for dried fruits as dessert. Tragic. Here are 20 no-bake chocolate desserts so you don’t have to suffer through this dorm struggle like I had to.
1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
With only six ingredients, this chocolate peanut butter pie is relatively healthy and simple. It can even be modified to be healthier by substituting the Oreo filling for coconut oil. It’s a gooey combination of chocolate and peanut butter that you can share with your eight closest friends (or just eat it yourself).
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie and Nutella Ice Box Cake
Cookies, Nutella, and Cool Whip come together in this ice box cake to satisfy any and all dessert cravings. It takes 10 minutes to make and is seriously good.
3. Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars
With only four ingredients, you probably already have everything you need to make this no-bake chocolate dessert. The great thing about this coconut bars recipe is that you mix coconut oil with sugar and coconut flakes, which makes a strong coconut base to match the dark chocolate.
The recipe recommends using a stove to melt the coconut oil before mixing in the sugar and coconut flakes, but you can use a microwave if you’re careful. It’s also great to bring to your next potluck.
4. White Chocolate Matcha Wafer Cookies
I had to slip in a white chocolate recipe; my stomach would disagree if I didn’t. I love this matcha cookie recipe because I love white chocolate, green tea, and vanilla wafers. Catch me eating all of these the moment I get midnight munchies.
The recipe only calls for four ingredients and takes 30 minutes to make so it’s great for when you’re lazy and want a dessert ASAP. If you’re in the mood for chocolate but nothing too crazy, make this.
5. Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pie
Dark chocolate salted caramel pie. Just say that to yourself a few times while looking at this picture and my job is done. You’re sold. But in case that didn’t work, I’ll go on. This pie is a salted caramel miracle. It only takes five ingredients that you might already have in your dorm because they’re so common. For a pie, it’s quick (only two hours to make from prep to eating).
#SpoonTip: Sprinkle some sea salt on top of your pie after it’s done. Trust me. Just do it.
6. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls
Think of the last time you had a food with pumpkin in it. Yesterday? That’s not soon enough. Make these chocolate chip cookie balls.
These are great because they’re actually healthy for a dessert and only take 10 minutes to make. If you’re prepping your stomach for Thanksgiving but still want to be festive, try this no-bake chocolate recipe.
7. Heath Bar and Chocolate Chip Pie
For anyone who doesn’t know what a Heath Bar is (like me three days ago), it’s a bar made of toffee and milk chocolate. This no-bake pie recipe is great for your Friendsgiving because it’s simple and only takes a few minutes to make and then an hour in the fridge.
Give this to your friend (or roommate) who can’t cook at all, who you would rather have go to Walmart to buy dessert than have to suffer through their dead brownies and cookies one more time. All you need to do for this recipe is to mix, pour, and refrigerate.
8. S’mores Bark
I love camping and this s’mores bark really brings me back to those fun times … like when my tent got flooded and I had to drive home while missing a window in my car. It’s always an adventure.
Because heck yeah marshmallows. Great for a group or just a snack to eat when you have a sweet tooth. You can grab it and go. There’s no need for a plate or anything.
9. Chocolate Cookie Dough Cups
These cookie dough cups are like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups except way better because instead of peanut butter it’s cookie dough (the edible kind). If you miss that peanut butter flavor, add two tablespoons of peanut butter to the recipe. You can’t get better than this for something so simple.
10. Chocolate Sunbutter Bars
If I’m being honest, I had no idea what sunbutter was but I was pretty sure it’s a peanut butter substitute. Now I know it’s sunflower butter for people allergic to peanut butter. This makes sense because this sunbutter bar recipe is gluten-free, low glycemic, and paleo. This is for anyone with dietary restrictions or nut allergies who wants a sweet treat that won’t destroy his/her body.
Here is a no-bake peanut butter bar, which is basically the same except not vegan, has peanuts, and is less complex.
11. Oreo Cheesecake Bars
This no-bake chocolate dessert doesn’t make you choose which way to eat your Oreos because it’s all mixed together and tastes like heaven in each bite, with the gooey goodness of marshmallows and crunch of hardened white chocolate. My mouth is watering just thinking about these cheesecake bars.
12. Chocolate Eclairs
This no-bake eclair recipe is a great mix of chocolate and vanilla with a gooey inside. This recipe takes a little planning because it needs to chill overnight, but it’s worth it.
13. Tiramisu Truffles
I love coffee and all things made with sugar. Some (everyone) might say I’m addicted. These tiramisu truffles is one of my favorites because it’s tiramisu blended together and covered in chocolate. Who wouldn’t want that? Also, you can substitute coffee liquor for the espresso and if frozen these can last up to two weeks.
14. Chocolate Lasagna
No lie, when I saw this name I imagined real noodles and marinara sauce mixed with chocolate … obviously I was wrong (and silly). Instead this chocolate lasagna recipe has layers of Oreos, whipped cream, chocolate, and cream cheese. Definitely better than what I first imagined.
15. Mint Chocolate Bark
This minty treat has only three ingredients: mint chocolate Oreos, baking chocolate, and a chocolate candy coating. It’ll leave you with a cool and sweet taste in your mouth. Just like all dessert barks, you can grab it and go or store for later.
#SpoonTip: This might be a winter-only dessert because I believe mint Oreos are only sold in fall and winter.
16. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
I like this no-bake chocolate recipe because it allows me to portion out how much dessert I should be eating. I would say I should have a max of four of these cookies in one sitting … even though I might have way more. This chocolate peanut butter pretzel cookie recipe is a great combination of salt and sugar, or as Leslie Knope would call it: salgar. Genius.
17. Samoa Cheesecake
If I die, bury me with this Samoa cheesecake. I love cheesecake and this fills the triangle-sized hole in my heart perfectly. Usually, cheesecake takes a lot of time and effort, but this recipe is pretty simple for cheesecake. This is great for when your friends think you’re only an okay cook and you bring it to them to prove them wrong. Take that, haters!
18. Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
Yes, there are other bars in this list, but this chocolate chip cookie dough bar recipe is healthy and looks cool. Haven’t you wanted to bite into a candy bar and realize there’s cookie dough on the inside? Maybe not, but now you can anyway.
Are you the friend of the group who goes all out for everything and makes a scene when needed? Could you be described as “extra?” If so, this recipe is for you.
19. Healthy Chocolate Fudgesicle
I’m not the biggest fan of healthy desserts. I tend to ask for everything full fat because it always tastes better. This fudgsicle recipe is an exception. It’s healthy and it tastes good, and this recipe has the option to add peanut butter, if desired. Those store-bought pops can’t beat this recipe.
20. Cake in a Mug
I’m not sure if this counts because technically the cakes are being baked, but it’s in a microwave so I think it counts. These recipes are for when you want a warm cake but have no oven.
Try your hand at a Nutella dark chocolate cake in a mug or a s’mores mug cake when a chocolate craving hits.
#SpoonTip: Here’s how to melt chocolate without any kitchen appliance or how to melt chocolate with a microwave.
Living in a dorm might suck sometimes, but after you get the hang of it and find ways to get around all the inconveniences, it turns into a wild adventure. The next time people are hogging the communal showers or just getting on your nerves, take a breather and make one of these no-bake chocolate desserts.