When I say I’ll only have one cookie, does a cookie cake count? This delicious but giant chocolate chip cookie is super easy to make. There’s no chill time, it’s easy to slice and serve, and it’s faster than rolling out dozens of individual cookies. Even better, it’s easy to decorate if you want to skip frosting an entire traditional cake.
However, you might not even have to worry about frosting your cookie, as it’ll probably disappear before it fully cools! The kitchen also smells absolutely inviting whenever this cake is baking, luring everyone to wait by the oven. If you’re in a baking mood, you can also try my other cookie recipes like my Double Chocolate Chip Cookies or Cookies and Cream Cookies.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Baking soda — make sure your baking soda is not expired. Do not swap for baking powder, as it will make the cookie cake taste too cakey.
Butter — when selecting butter, be sure to use unsalted butter and not salted butter. Salted butter does not have a consistent amount of salt, so you should add your own, or you might have an overly salty cookie. Make sure the butter is soft enough so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent. If it’s cold, it’ll be challenging to beat it into a smooth consistency.
Sugar — I use both white and brown sugar for this cookie cake. White sugar adds sweetness and structure, whereas brown sugar adds a delicious caramelized flavor. Brown sugar also contributes to keeping the cake soft and chewy in the center.
Cocoa powder — I recommend using high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker, less acidic, and tastes fudgier.
HOW TO MAKE A COOKIE CAKE
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat on medium speed until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. While mixing on low speed, add the flour and beat just until combined.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Press the cookie dough into an even layer in the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cookie is lightly browned and appears dry on the surface. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
7. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
8. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe frosting around the edge of the cookie. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Make sure your brown sugar is soft and moist for the best cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
- If you don’t have brown sugar, you can follow this post on how to make brown sugar.
- You can use your favorite chocolate chips in these cookies, including milk, white, or ruby chocolate. For an extra twist, substitute half of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, caramel chips, or butterscotch chips. You can even use colored M&M’s if you would like to make the cookie cake for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and more.
- Room temperature egg will mix more evenly into the butter mixture. Place your egg into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring it to room temperature if you have forgotten to take it out of your fridge ahead of time.
- I use a star piping tip to pipe the border of the cookie cake, but a zip-top bag with the corner cut off would work just as well if you don’t have any piping tips.
- The cookie cake needs to cool in the pan completely before being removed. If you try to remove the cake too early, it can break. Once it’s firm, you can easily flip it upside-down to get it out.
- Pull the giant cookie out once it looks lightly brown on top in the oven. The cookie will continue to cook through with residual heat, so it may over-bake if you pull it out too late.
- Not a fan of chocolate frosting? Try my Buttercream Frosting, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Mocha Frosting.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is this a cake or a cookie?
While called a cookie cake, this is technically a giant cookie with frosting and sprinkles then sliced and served like a cake. Either way, it’s delicious!
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make this cookie cake 1 day ahead of time and leave unfrosted until ready to serve. Alternatively, you can make the cookie dough 2 days ahead of time. Simply keep it covered in the fridge.
Can I freeze this?
This chocolate chip cookie cake is freezer-friendly. Skip frosting the cake, and once cooled, wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap then tin foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw and bring the cake to room temperature when ready to enjoy. Raw cookie dough is freezer-friendly as well. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap in a disc shape and thaw before baking.
How do I store leftovers?
Leftover cake can be left at room temperature for 2 days. Just keep it covered. After 2 days, the cookie may start drying out.
Do I need a special pan to make this?
If you don’t have a cake pan, don’t worry. You can use a cast-iron skillet in place of a cake pan.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Cookie Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cookie Cake
Video
Equipment
- Whisk
- Piping bag and tip or plastic sandwich bag
Ingredients
For the Cookie:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (210g)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (165g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for sprinkling (270g)
For the Frosting:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (85g)
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar sifted (150g)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter or spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat on medium speed until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. (You don’t want to beat the mixture until very light and fluffy like you would for a cake because the air will make the cookie too crumbly and puffy.)
- Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. While mixing on low speed, add the flour and beat just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Press the cookie dough into an even layer in the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cookie is lightly browned and appears dry on the surface. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip.
- Remove the cookie from the pan and place on a serving plate. Pipe frosting around the edge of the cookie. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- Make sure your brown sugar is soft and moist for the best cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
- If you don’t have brown sugar, you can follow this post on how to make brown sugar.
- You can use your favorite chocolate chips in these cookies, including milk, white, or ruby chocolate. For an extra twist, substitute half of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, caramel chips, or butterscotch chips. You can even use colored M&M’s if you would like to make the cookie cake for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, and more.
- Room temperature egg will mix more evenly into the butter mixture. Place your egg into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring it to room temperature if you have forgotten to take it out of your fridge ahead of time.
- I use a star piping tip to pipe the border of the cookie cake, but a zip-top bag with the corner cut off would work just as well if you don’t have any piping tips.
- The cookie cake needs to cool in the pan completely before being removed. If you try to remove the cake too early, it can break. Once it’s firm, you can easily flip it upside-down to get it out.
- Pull the giant cookie out once it looks lightly brown on top in the oven. The cookie will continue to cook through with residual heat, so it may over-bake if you pull it out too late.
- Not a fan of chocolate frosting? Try my Buttercream Frosting, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Mocha Frosting.
