Two US university students kidnapped, paddled and tortured a man with freshly baked cookies after a drug deal went wrong, a court has been told.

Rosario James, 23, and Jordan Sallis, 20, were charged overnight with two counts of aggravated kidnapping and one count of robbery and aggravated battery.

Three men reportedly went to James's house to buy marijuana but two of the men grabbed the drugs and fled, leaving the other behind.

Sheriff Brad Wells alleged James and Sallis grabbed the third man and told him he needed to pay US$400 for the drugs.

The suspects then beat the man with a wooden paddle and burnt his neck and shoulders with a batch of freshly baked cookies after taking them out of the oven.

The men then allegedly shaved his head and poured urine over him from a soft drink bottle.

"Basically, it was just sheer torture," Wells said.

The victim managed to escape a few hours later after the suspects drove him to a house to try and get the money for the marijuana.

Despite his injuries, the victim was not hospitalised and the suspects were arrested the following morning.

There was no evidence that James or Sallis were using drugs before or after the alleged torture, Wells said.

"Basically they ripped them off of their drugs, and they took exception to that," Wells said.

A court clerk said the suspects did not appear to have legal representation.