Abstract: This invention provides a reactive dough composition which undergoes chemical surface browning upon exposure to microwave energy. This reactive dough composition is preferably incorporated as a coating layer on frozen food products having a crust component, e.g., pies. The resulting food product can be heated or cooked in a microwave oven to give a cooked product which is comparable or superior in color and flavor to fresh products baked in a conventional oven. The reactive composition contains as the essential active ingredients a reducing sugar such as dextrose and an amino acid source such as a yeast extract.