This is the best chocolate chip cookie cake recipe that knocks the mall version out of the park! The giant cookie is thick and has a perfectly crisp edge and soft, chewy center. I also don’t skimp on the chocolate chips, so you get plenty of melty chocolate in every bite! The simple chocolate frosting adds even more decadence to this fun dessert recipe. I tested the recipe in different pan sizes, so you can easily make a larger cookie cake for a big birthday party or celebration.
A reader, Carol, says: “I made this for a work friend who LOVES store-bought ‘big box’ cookie cakes. I was worried it wasn’t going to be moist and that I had overcooked it…She and 2 others said hands down it was the best cookie cake they had ever eaten!!…I highly recommend!” ★★★★★
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
My cookie cake recipe is super easy to make and is so much better tasting than the store-bought kind! There are two key methods that make my cookie cake soft, chewy, and delicious.
- It’s all about the bake. This cookie cake is soft and chewy without added ingredients. Baking the cookie just long enough that the edges turn a bit caramelized and crisp, but the center is still gooey, makes for the perfect texture. No need to add any special ingredients or separate eggs to do it!
- Creaming the butter and sugar. Unlike most cakes, you don’t mix the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy for this recipe. Beating them until they’re just creamy and combined reduces the amount of air incorporated, which makes the cookie cake chewy and soft, not puffy and crumbly.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients you need to make my homemade chocolate chip cookie cake. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Butter — I always prefer to use unsalted butter and add salt to prevent the cookie cake or frosting from accidentally turning out too salty. Salted butter has a lot of variation in salt content among different brands.
Sugar — you need granulated sugar and brown sugar for the cookies. White sugar adds sweetness and structure to the cookie cake dough, while brown sugar adds molasses notes as well as moisture. If you don’t have brown sugar, check out my easy tutorial for how to make brown sugar at home. And if your brown sugar has hardened, don’t fret! Check out how to soften brown sugar easily.
Egg — set the large egg out in advance so it loses its chill, as a room temperature egg will mix more evenly into the butter mixture. If you have forgotten to take it out of your fridge ahead of time, place the egg into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring it to room temperature.
Baking soda — baking soda is responsible for the cookie cake’s chewy middle. Don’t swap it for baking powder, which will make the cookie too cakey and more crumbly.
Chocolate chips — 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.
Frosting — you will beat cocoa powder, butter, powdered sugar, and milk together to make the delicious chocolate butter. Use unsweetened cocoa powder since the frosting has plenty of sweetness from powdered sugar. A high-quality cocoa powder will give the chocolate frosting the best flavor. You can also use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a more intense chocolate flavor. A small amount of milk makes the cookie cake frosting lighter and fluffier, so it’s easy to pipe.
Do I need to add any ingredients to make the cookie cake soft?
I developed this recipe to have the perfect texture of chewy chocolate chip cookies that is soft and sliceable without the need for special ingredients! Baking it just until the center is set, but still gooey, results in the perfect cookie cake texture.
If you want some added insurance, you can replace 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. The added starch will hold onto moisture and keep the cookie soft for a few days.
How Do I Adjust This Recipe For Other Pan Sizes?
It’s easy to make a bigger cookie cake for a larger crowd or party! Just remember to double the frosting, or make a second batch of a different flavor (see ideas just below), to make sure you have enough to frost the bigger cake.
- 10-inch skillet: Make the recipe as written. The cookie will be a bit thinner due to the larger pan size, so check it for doneness at 18 minutes.
- 8-inch square pan: Make the recipe as written, following the same baking instructions and times.
- 9×13-inch sheet cake: Double the recipe and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil after 25 minutes if the top looks like it’s getting dark brown before the center is done.
- 16-inch round pizza pan: Double the recipe and bake the cookie cake for 15 to 18 minutes. This size pan produces a thinner cookie cake, very similar to the store-bought kind, with plenty of space to pipe a message like “Happy Birthday!” in the center.
How To Decorate A Cookie Cake
To make the iconic border that is the signature of mall cookie cakes, use a large closed star tip (Ateco 846 is my preference) to pipe dollops around the edge of the cake, then decorate with colorful sprinkles. You can use all chocolate frosting or alternate it with vanilla buttercream frosting. If you want to pipe a message in the center, double the chocolate frosting recipe or use another flavor.
And don’t feel like you have to only use chocolate or vanilla frosting, either! Peanut butter frosting, cream cheese frosting, strawberry frosting, and mocha frosting all taste fantastic on a cookie cake. Just go with what you like!
Pro Tips For Making A Soft & Chewy Cookie Cake
Don’t overbake the cookie cake. A slightly gooey center is essential to baking a deliciously soft cookie cake. The edges should be puffed and light golden brown, and the top of the dough should be just starting to take on some golden color when it’s ready. Overbaking the cake will result in a drier, crumblier cookie with a crispy crust.
The giant cookie will sink slightly after baking—that’s normal! Because the cookie is thick, it will puff up slightly during baking and then settle down as it cools. This is normal and part of producing that perfect dense yet soft texture in the center.
Let the cookie cake cool completely before frosting it. If the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
How To Make A Cookie Cake
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making this. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside for the moment.
2. In a large bowl, beat the unsalted butter until smooth with a hand mixer, then add the white sugar and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Don’t mix beyond this point because that will incorporate too much air into the creamed butter and sugar, which will yield a crumbly, puffy giant cookie.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
4. With the electric mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Add the chocolate chips and fold them in by hand with a silicone spatula to avoid overworking the dough.
6. Press the cookie dough into a greased 9-inch round cake pan. Make sure to press it into an even layer. You can sprinkle more chocolate chips on top if you like. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Place the cake pan on a wire rack and let the cookie cake cool completely in the pan.
7. Make the chocolate frosting in a bowl by beating the butter until smooth and adding powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat to combine on low speed before increasing the speed to medium and beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip.
8. Remove the cookie from the pan by flipping it upside down, then place it on a large serving plate. Pipe chocolate frosting all around the edge of the cookie and decorate with sprinkles if desired.
Cookie Cake Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pan
- 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 packed light or dark brown sugar (165g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 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 sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cookie:
- 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 both of the 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 by hand using a silicone spatula.
- 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
- Pull the giant cookie out once it looks lightly browned 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Storage Instructions
Room temperature: Store leftover cookie cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Avoid refrigerating it, as that will dry it out.
Can I freeze cookie cake? Yes, you can freeze the unfrosted giant cookie! Wrap it in a couple layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before frosting it.
Can I make it ahead of time? Yes! Press the dough into the pan (Step 5), cover with plastic wrap, and chill it for up to 72 hours before baking. You can also freeze the dough in the pan for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before baking. If you opt for the freezer route, I recommend lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, so the cookie doesn’t stick.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
I have plenty more cookie recipes for you to try—chocolate cookies, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies—I’ve got you covered to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Peanut butter cookies are ready in 15 minutes! You’ll love their soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and sweet-salty flavor.
Fudgy double chocolate chip cookies are also ready in a flash and are so wonderfully decadent. You can store leftovers for up to 5 days!
Cookies and cream cookies are loaded with white chocolate chips and Oreo chunks. They’re thick, chewy, and so flavorful.
Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes and have been a fan-favorite since I first published the recipe in 2020! You can make a bigger batch to delight a larger crowd.
If you love brownies, you’ll definitely love chocolate crinkle cookies! These soft-baked cookies have ultra fudgy middles — they’re like brownies in cookie form!
If you’ve tried this giant cookie cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Brandon Bartram says
Delicious 🙂
Sandra says
Turned out great, thank you!
Rose says
This has become the recipe I am asked to bake every year for my friends birthday! Classic and absolutely delicious. I usually just use store bought icing and make the cookie cake base, substituing the chocolate chips for m&m’s! Cant recommend this recipe enough
Caitlyn says
Hands down, probably one of the best chocolate chip cookies recipe I ever tried!
Allison G says
everyone loved it and was so easy to make!
Neeta says
Amazing! Was easy to make and so delicious ! Thank you for this recipe!
AMANDA S DUNHAM says
I make this recipe twice in a 9×13 in pan and stacked them together with the frosting recipe doubled. I tasted amazing and my family loved it.
Martha Wills says
This is by far the best cookie cake I’ve had! I’m making it my go-to recipe!