Top 10 student baking recipes

1. Giant cookie

Raid the corner shop for toppings for this tear-and-share pimped-up cookie. Don’t worry if you don’t have a baking sheet in your student halls – you can use an oven-proof frying pan. All the other ingredients are cheap and easy to get hold of, so the only question is: What will you put on yours?

Bake your own giant cookie with all the trimmings.

2. Double ginger cookies

If you’re a fan of ginger nuts, you’ll love these American-style spiced biscuits. Studded with stem ginger and dipped in dark chocolate, they’re made with fewer than 10 ingredients and bake up 24 per batch. Freeze the dough to cut waste, and bake them on demand (though they won’t last long next to a cuppa).

Treat yourself without breaking the bank with more budget-friendly baking recipes.

3. Easy white bread

Your beginners’ bread-making class starts here, with a simple sandwich loaf made from very basic ingredients in just 20 minutes plus baking. You can make big batches of this and freeze loaves so that you know exactly what’s going into your daily bread. And once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start experimenting with different shapes, sizes and add-ins.

Try making your own easy white bread.

4. Frying pan pizza

Make a simple dough for this pizza with flour and olive oil – it requires minimal kneading so it's low-effort. The recipe counts as 2 of your 5-a-day and serves two: enjoy half for dinner, then chill the rest for a lunchbox-friendly bite you can take to lectures.

5. Easy chocolate cupcakes

Stretch your cake budget further with these chocolatey treats which can be frozen (if you can resist eating the whole batch) and then quickly reheated in the microwave. The recipe divides the chocolate between the cake batter and the icing to make your money go further and cut down on ingredients.

Bake up a batch of simple chocolate cupcakes.

6. Jumbo sausage roll

Portable and perfect for sharing, this sausage roll is super straightforward to bake with maximum moreishness. The recipe comes with the ingredients for making your own baked beans, too, if you fancy trying that as a side dish. Replace pork sausages with vegetarian alternatives if you prefer.

Make a jumbo sausage roll to feed a crowd.

7. Freezer biscuits

Roll this dough up in a log wrapped in greaseproof paper, pop it in the freezer, and you can slice off rounds to bake as and when you and your mates fancy a biccie. You can vary the flavours between nuts, coconut or dried fruit, and you’ll easily find all the ingredients at the corner shop or supermarket.

Try baking homemade freezer biscuits.

8. Banana peel breakfast cake

Make the most of your bananas – peel and all – with this clever breakfast loaf. It’s delicious as is, or you can serve it toasted with a spoonful of yogurt. Following a vegan diet? Try our vegan banana bread. Or, if you want a gluten-free option, try our gluten-free banana bread.

9. Feelgood flapjacks

These portable feelgood flapjack bars use banana and apple to bind together the oat mix so you can cut down on sugar and butter – better for you, better for your wallet. They keep well in a tin for a few days and pack in plenty of the good stuff in the shape of dried fruit, seeds and oats. Pack one in your bag for after your lecture.

10. Cheesy garlic bread

Some things just taste way better when you DIY rather than order in or buy in a packet, and cheesy garlic bread is high on that list. It’s super simple to make – not to mention cheaper – and once you’ve baked this beginners’ recipe, you can try garlic bread nachos, cheesy garlic bread baked from scratch, or garlic bread pizzas.

Enjoyed these student recipe suggestions? Try our other easy cooking ideas...

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Our favourite healthy student meals
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What's your favourite student baking recipe? Leave a comment below...