Cookie Cake
A soft Cookie Cake decorated with buttercream frosting! If you’re not a fan of cake but love cookies, this dessert is for you!
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CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE RECIPE
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My son turned 6 last weekend. I spent the weekend eating like a 6-year-old: Cheetos, pizza, cake, and more cake. Unlike my son, calories seem to actually count for me so I spent this week repenting.
My husband and I always joke that our son is the mailman’s kid because he really came out looking nothing like either of us.
We both have dark brown hair (don’t let the bleach fool you) and I have green eyes and my husband brown.
So when this blond haired and blue eyed kid was born, we both wondered where in the heck he came from. No really.
It doesn’t help that immediately after birth he was whisked away and we didn’t see him for four hours. Who knows what happened in that amount of time? And it’s Florida. Crazy stuff happens here.
But as he grew older I saw my eyes in his. I saw him grow up to be a tan mini version of my older brother.
And he really loves chocolate. He could eat it as a meal and be just fine. That’s when I really knew he was mine.
For his birthday a giant cookie cake was in order. Although I love my Chocolate Chip Cookies, I knew they would be too gooey for this type of cake. I needed a recipe that was a little bit sturdier but still soft inside.
In high school I always got the little cookie cups filled with frosting at our local mall and this tasted just like it with a simple buttercream on top. The key to making frosting look fancy is to use the biggest star or flower tip you can find. I like Wilton’s 2D or 1M tip.
I like to make it more of a birthday cookie cake by adding sprinkles. I like serving this at room temperature.
OTHER COOKIE RECIPES
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Salty Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Chewy Coconut Lime Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk for thinning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" round cake pan or springform pan.
- In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Press dough into prepared pan and bake for 18-23 minutes or until the edges just start to turn brown and center is set but still soft. Let cookie cool completely in pan.
FOR THE FROSTING:
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is met (you might not need it all). Continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate. Using a large star tip decorate the cooled cookie cake. Add sprinkles and extra chocolate chips if desired. Store and serve at room temperature.
This was a BUST!! Icing was too look sweet and just overall BAD!!!
Sooo good! I’ve been making this for years. It’s always a hit!
Thank you!
This cookie cake was amazing! I made it for my son’s 15th birthday. I doubled the recipe and to make a bigger cake. It was gone by the next morning. I was asked by my husband to make another one today so I am. Thank you so much for this easy delicious recipe. I’ll never buy a cookie cake again.
Have you ever frozen your cookie cakes? With and w/o frosting? I’m going to be making some for a co-worker and before I experimented wanted any advice and/or comments.
Absolutely. They freeze well!
What about making this gluten free? And ideas? I was just going to use
Betty Crocker’s All Purpose gluten free rice flour blend, instead of regular all purpose flour. Don’t know how much different the texture may be though..
I haven’t tried it with Gluten-free products so I can’t say for sure.
It looks great!
Very good idea! This recipe is amazing and so easy.
My husband ate it in 10 minutes! LOL
Thank u so much for recipe
You’re welcome!
Was the cornstarch removed from the recipe I swear I was adding it before?
So excited to make this cookie cake for my kids’ bday this weekend! Does it matter if the butter is salted? Totally forgot to buy unsalted butter at the store tonight and am 1/2 an hour from a grocery store!
No. You could decrease the salt in the recipe. I actually don’t mind when my sweets have salted butter because I feel like it brings out the flavors.
Beautiful job. We also use a recipe similar to Sally’s at https://www.Cookie-Cake.com. We have adapted it for a 12 inch circular pan though. Also, great job including the buttercream recipe, the whole package! If anyone would like some design inspiration, check out our award-winning designs!
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This is amazing! I made it for my daughter’s 4th birthday last year. I want to make a few for a picnic with 40 toddlers/preschoolers. If I am using 9″ round and square pans, how many small pieces can i get out of those? I’m thinking 3 or 4 cookie cakes?
Ahh. It’s hard to say. I think you could get about 12 per cake.
Made this today. It wasn’t anybody’s birthday or anything. It was just a ‘my kids are awesome’ kind of day & it was delish! Didn’t have any baking soda so I used baking powder. Not sure if it made a big difference but it was so easy. Thank you so much for sharing.
What does the cornstarch do in this recipe?
It gives it a very soft texture. You could definitely leave it out if you don’t have it on hand.
Could I use a regular cake pan?? I’m trying to do a heart shaped cookie cake for someone and I was wondering did it have to be in a pizza pan or if I could use the cake pan?
Oh no it doesn’t have to be a pizza pan. It can be whatever pan you want!
Would I be able to prepare the dough the night before and refridgerate it to bake the next day?
I’ve made this twice now, doubling it for a half sheet pan size, and both times it turned out fantastic. For those that were asking, baking time for me was around 25 minutes for fully cooked. Under baked would probably be closer to 20 minutes if I had to guess – I was trying to multitask both times I made this and wasn’t watching closely enough to catch it at the perfect under baked-ness. The only change I made was only putting in 3 tsp of vanilla instead of 4, since there was so much flavorful dark brown sugar and honestly, 4 tsp of vanilla just sounds like too much, haha. Thanks so much for sharing, this recipe is a total keeper!
Thanks for your tips and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
For half pan size like half a bakers cake pan side 17×12 roughly? Making it today. Was your cookie still soft? Making it for a class.
Thanks
Thank you so much this recipe is perfect im going to make one of these in my heart shape pan and frost it to spell out prom for my boyfriend:)!!!!
Cute! I want to see!
Wow. This cookie cake is amazing! I made this for my daughter’s birthday party. The cake came out perfectly. It was a nice golden hue on the edges, but the edges weren’t crispy like I was expecting. Also, the icing was a great compliment to the cookie cake. The kids loved it! It was such a big hit, my other kids asked me to make that for their next birthday. Great recipe! Thank you!
You’re welcome Sarah!
Just found this through Pinterest and plan on making it this weekend, but I have a couple questions. First when is calls for 3/4 Cup brown sugar, should it be packed or not? Did you use salted or unsalted butter for the icing?and did you just use regular bottles of food coloring to get the icing the desired color you want? I just want to make sure everything turns out okay when I make it!
Katie,
Yes, the brown sugar should be packed. I always use unsalted butter for frosting and just use regular food coloring. Good luck!!
I just made this and it was super easy!! i used baking spry instead of parchment paper works just as well! I also used a round 9″ glass pan and it came out perfectly 🙂
How did you get cookie out of pan
I had lined the pan with parchment paper so it popped right out.
I love this recipy ! im only 12 and i love to bake everything, thanks for posting this resipy
You’re welcome!
Hi there-
Love this & I am going to double this for a jellyroll pan. Do I need to double the buttercream too, or did the recipe you list make way more than you needed for the 9″?
Thanks!
I think if you’re just decorating the edges then you will have enough but if you plan on doing more you may need to double it.
This is the recipe I use for choc. chip cookies, its the best! I’m going to try a cookie cake today for my sons 9th birthday.
Have you doubled this recipe before to make a very large cake? I was hoping to use a jwlly roll pan for a huge rectangle cake but a little nervous about it cooking correctly.
I think you could double it for sure but I’m not sure what the cooking time would be?
How many servings would you say is in one cake?
I would say about 8-10.
Great recipe! My 8-year-old niece wanted me to bake her birthday cake this year (which only proved how cool of an aunt I am), and a giant choc chip cookie was her choice, so I had a great reason to try out your recipe. It turned out perfect. Thanks for sharing the recipe–it is now included in my arsenal of recipes titled, “Keepers to Make Again and Again”.
Looks yummy!
I just made this for my husbands friends birthday and it was a hit! Very very delicious! thank you for sharing!!
Will it work ok with light brown sugar? I am in the middle of this and just realized that is all I have.
Oh yes of course. Dark brown just gives it a bit of a deeper flavor.
Will the recipe turn out alright without cornstarch?
Yes, of course. The cornstarch just adds a light texture.
Just made this, it smells, looks and tastes amazing! (:
I got confused about the butter and sugar looking fluffy and light in colour – mine didn’t change much. And I used a cream cheese icing instead.
But anyway, I think I’ll have to make this again very soon…
Thanks for posting!!
I was wondering if it is possible to use margarine instead of butter?
This cake sound amazing:-D
Camilla,
I am a firm believer in butter so I have never tried margarine so I can’t tell you if it would work. I’m sure it would.
This recipe is amazing! I absolutely had fun making it, and it came out perfect. This treat is a great holiday dessert and I’ll definitely be making it again!
I hope this doesn’t sound stupid but did you use a 9×9 pan?
Not stupid! Yes, I used a 9×9 pan…
I ended up using a 9×9 spring loaded pan(the ones for cheesecakes) and it helped a lot.
Great! I love these!!! So crumbly, soft and chocolaty! Yummy. Thanks for the recipe pal!
I have made this cake twice in the last 3 days for two different events. It’s delicious and completely addicting. I made it on a round stoneware baking pan and just shaped it into a circle. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome!
Great recipe, and decoration is so cute!
Looks wonderful! I was wondering why you use cornstarch in the cookie recipe?
It makes the texture light and fluffy!
this looks yuuuumy!!
I love that you make such special cakes for each of your kids. That’s a memory they will always have. I never cooked before I was married! I found your website and fell in love and cook for my hubby all the time now. I hope when we expand our little family I will still make the time and have the energy to do all the special things you do as a mom. Very inspiring! (My husband thanks you too….)
Thanks Amanda and congrats to you!!
Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe. My son and I made it last night and when I took a bite it totally reminded me of my youth and my favorite cookie place The Original Cookie Co. In the mall growing up in az. This cookie cake recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks again.
I have a silly question. If I wanted to make this cookie using a round pizza pan, do you think I should double the recipe? Thanks. I like using the disposable pizza pans because I don’t have to worry about getting the pan back or trying to get the cookie out of the pan in one piece. Have a great day.
Pizza pans are usually around 12″. You could use one batch, it would just be a little thinner and you would have to bake it for less time. If you doubled it, it could be way too much dough. I would have to try it to see.
Thanks. I could double the recipe and use part of the dough for regular cookies too. I’m sure my family wouldn’t mind that. LOL. I’ll have to “try” it out. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Love your blog, such cute ideas! I just started my own blog and would love anyone to stop by and check it out, Thanks in advance!
http://www.happierhappenings.blogspot.com
This is so yummy looking and brings back a very special birthday. I am living in Greece right now. One year my cousin sent me one like this for my birthday. Thank you for the recipe and reminding me how blessed I am. 😀
This is totally my kind of cake. I will have to make it at some point for sure. thanks for the tip on the fancy frosting! (I’ve got my first baby’s first birthday party this week!) I love the ‘abundance,’ of sprinkles. Your three year old did a fabulous job!
Love cookie cakes! They are so much fun to make and taste so much better than the ones in the mall!
Perfect timing! My son turns 3 in a few weeks and I was just thinking of making him a cookie cake. Looks amazing!
This is such a great idea! I could go for a big slice right now!
Looks amazing my friend. 🙂 And hearing that I am your go-to site for cookies makes my day. COMPLETELY makes my day. You, your recipes, and your website are all so wonderful and I look up to you so much! Thank you! PS: I’ve made this as a cookie pie before. AMAZING. 😉
I love cookie cakes! Such a fun way to celebrate a birthday without the traditional birthday cake. Plus, who doesn’t love a gigantic chocolate chip cookie with buttercream frosting? This recipe is definitely going to come in handy. 🙂
I’m such a sucker for cookie cake! It is really the best stuff on Earth! I also love this recipe for cookies. I can’t wait to try it as a cookie cake! Thanks!
Love this idea and I am going to make it with my nieces.
Great recipe! The cake looks delish! I make my Husband chocolate chip cookies every week, maybe I should surprise him with your cake version!
I love cookie cake and that one looks amazing! I might have to try and bake it sometime 🙂 Thanks for sharing. By the way, I love the brightness of the turquoise icing!
yummy!! looks tasty
Love the decoration! Your son’s really lucky to have such an awesome mom 🙂
Love this so much! That slice looks absolutely perfect.
Wow so tempting 🙂 Loved it 🙂 Super decorating!!