Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like the best chocolate chip cookie, with a sweet, classic birthday cake frosting on top.
Texture: The cookie itself is ultra chewy at the edges, slightly gooey in the center, and taken to a whole new level by the rich and creamy frosting.
Ease: Very easy! The cookie dough comes together in minutes without an electric mixer and can be made ahead of time.
Pros: Super fun for celebrations! Perfect for those who don’t love birthday cake.
Cons: None!!
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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Get ready to enjoy the most delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake you’ve ever had.
This homemade cookie cake is perfectly chewy, gooey, and thick, with plenty of chocolate chips in every bite. Whether you’re having a party or it’s just a regular weekday, this recipe will add a little sparkle and fun to your dessert. No one will be able to stop at just one slice.
Growing up, I never really liked birthday cake. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a good fresh, homemade cake baked with quality, flavorful ingredients. But neither of my parents baked. Store-bought birthday cakes or ones made with cake mix and packaged frosting were sickeningly sweet and artificial tasting, even for my 10-year-old taste buds. And I’ve loved sweets my entire life!
Don’t even get me started on the actual bland, dry store-bought cakes.
This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe is perfect for those who don’t like birthday cake. Or for when you just don’t have the time and patience to bake a cake! Or maybe for those times when you just want something fun and a little different.
Whatever you do, make sure you’re generous with the rainbow sprinkles for an extra festive cake!
I’ve formulated the chocolate chip cookie base recipe to be ultra-thick, chewy, and slightly gooey in the middle with tons of flavor. The melted butter, dark brown sugar, extra egg yolk, bread flour, and cornstarch all help to accomplish this.
If you’d like to know more about the science of cookie baking, check out my free Cookie Customization Guide here. These are the kinds of details I dive into in my cookbook, The Ultimate Cookie Handbook!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make A Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Do I Have to Use Bread Flour in This Cookie Cake?
The bread flour in this recipe helps make the cookie cake ultra chewy and thick. If you don’t have any bread flour, feel free to use only all-purpose flour, though your cookie cake might lose some chewiness.
Do I Have to Use Dark Brown Sugar? What if I Only Have Light Brown Sugar?
- No need to panic! You can easily use light brown sugar in place of the dark brown sugar. Your cookie cake will be a bit lighter in color and slightly less rich in flavor.
- Dark brown sugar also brings additional moisture, thanks to its added molasses content, so using light brown sugar will slightly alter the final texture, too.
- If you’ve got white sugar or light brown sugar and molasses on hand, simply make your own dark brown sugar. You will need 1 ½ cups (300 grams) white granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons molasses. DIY Brown Sugar instructions here.
- I don’t recommend decreasing the amount of sugar in this recipe – learn why here. For a less sweet cake, try topping with ice cream or whipped cream in place of the frosting.
Why is There Cornstarch in This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake?
Along with bread flour, cornstarch is our magic ingredient for achieving that perfect thick, chewy, and soft texture. It can also aid in lift and height. I use cornstarch in several of my chocolate chip cookie recipes. Don’t skip the cornstarch!
How to Decorate a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
For this cookie cake recipe, I used a half batch of my go-to Best Buttercream. I’ve also listed other topping ideas below. If you’d like, you could also use a piping tip to pipe some beautiful buttercream swirls around the edges of your chocolate chip cookie cake.
More Topping Ideas for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake:
- Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- Best Ever Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Homemade Caramel Sauce
- Ice Cream (vanilla or cookie dough would be delicious)
- Whipped Cream
- Don’t forget extra sprinkles and/or chocolate chips!
The Best Pan For Baking Cookie Cake
- For this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, I prefer to use a 9-inch springform pan because it makes it really easy to remove the entire cookie cake from the pan and place it on a pretty cake stand or serving plate.
- If you don’t have a springform pan, use a round cake pan or deep pie pan. You may need to adjust the baking time.
- I also recommend using these pre-cut parchment paper rounds with tabs, so you’ll more easily be able to remove the chocolate chip cookie cake from the pan.
- Avoid using glass or ceramic pans – learn why in my Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans article here.
Can I Make This Cookie Cake Ahead of Time?
Yes, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake can be made ahead of time! You have a couple of options, depending on how far in advance you need to prep the cookie cake:
- The cookie dough can be prepared in a greased pan and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bake straight from the fridge as directed below. You may need to add a minute or two to the bake time.
- If you need to prep the dough further in advance, check out my article on freezing cookie dough here.
- The buttercream can be prepped and stored in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and re-whip in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. If it needs to be thickened, add a tablespoon or two of sifted powdered sugar.
- The baked cookie cake can also be stored for a few days – more on that below.
How to Store Cookie Cake
You can store this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Amazing Birthday Cake Recipes:
- Best Birthday Cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting! YUM!)
- Red Velvet Cake
- Best Chocolate Cake
- Funfetti Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Brownie Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Find all my best Birthday Cake Recipes here!
Monthly Baking Challenge Recipe Pick
This recipe is the current pick for the Handle the Heat Baking Challenge. Bake the recipe, snap a photo, and upload it for a chance to win PRIZES.
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate chip cookie base:
- 1 1/4 cups (247 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar*
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (191 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups (159 grams) bread flour**
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups (340 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
For the buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cups (153 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch fine salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoons cream or milk
- Sprinkles, for garnishing
Instructions
For the cookie base:
- Place sugars in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, swirling occasionally until melted. Alternatively, place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted. Add hot butter to the sugars and stir to combine. Set aside to cool until just warm.
- Stir in the eggs, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Using a spatula, gradually mix in the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake now or cover the dough and refrigerate until ready to bake, up to 72 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch spring-form pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes for a gooey center or 35 to 40 minutes to cook completely. Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the cookie cake to cool completely before removing from the pan and frosting.
For the buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the salt, vanilla, and cream and beat on medium for 1 minute, adding more cream if needed.
- Spread all over the cooled cookie cake then garnish with sprinkles. Serve or cover and let stand at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerated for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Do I leave the cake in the spring pan while to cool?
Hi Tamara! Apologies for not being totally clear in the recipe – I have just updated it to reflect that the cookie cake should stay in the tin while it cools, to keep its shape intact. Thanks so much for pointing that out, so we could clarify for everyone. Let us know what you think once you’ve given this cookie cake a try! Happy baking 🙂
This cake is amazing. I’ve made it three times now and everybody has loved it. I’m making it again this weekend. I’m new to baking and was nervous trying this, but I’m so glad I did! It’s been delicious every time I’ve made it. I’m so, so happy I stumbled upon it and would definitely pass it on!
Yay! So glad to hear this, Katie! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Hi! My mom’s birthday is tomorrow and she loves peanut butter and cookies. I was thinking of making this chocolate chip cookie cake for her, but subbing your peanut butter frosting instead of the vanilla buttercream. Do you think this is a good idea? Do you recommend altering anything else?
Hi Maddi! That sounds delicious – no other modifications needed. Enjoy!!
I’ve made this twice within 6 months and it is a sure hit every time and very much like a giant thick cookie. One thing that’d be really helpful is a calorie approximation with and without the frosting (other nutrient details would be great, but less important). I do understand that slightly different brands of ingredients will throw off the calorie estimate.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Larissa! Here at Handle the Heat, we don’t count calories or carbs. We firmly believe that dessert should be an indulgence and should never be punished. You are welcome to use a calorie counter online to assist with this, though! 🙂
Hi! This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I was wondering how many days in advance I can make the dough. Can I “marinate” it for 72 hours like the chocolate chip cookie recipes? Thank you so much!
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, that should be fine! I would recommend no more than 72 hours in the fridge, though, to avoid the dough drying out or spoiling! Let us know what you think once you’ve given this a try 🙂
Is it possible to use soft light brown sugar instead of soft dark brown sugar?
Hi Sara! Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, so it will therefore bring a little more moisture and caramel-y, butterscotch-y flavor to the cookie cake. If you happen to have molasses on hand, you can add 2 tablespoons of molasses per cup of white sugar, or 1 tablespoon per cup of light brown sugar, for a DIY dark brown sugar 🙂 Otherwise, you can just use the light brown sugar you have on hand, but just note that the resulting cookie cake might be a touch less moist, and carry a little less butterscotch-y flavor! Happy baking!
First time making this . I used spring form pan and followed directions exactly. I baked 45 minutes at 350, my oven is accurate. I let it cool. When I cut in the outer top looked great but over knife went in it was way more raw and underdone that I ever expected. I had to put my slice into microwave ( not ideal) to be able to taste it. By this time it’s fully cooled and I don’t think placing back in over us a good idea.
Hi Tamera! I’m sorry to hear that your cookie cake was underbaked. Some ovens have trouble maintaining a steady temperature (I know my home oven does this!) where it says it’s at the correct temperature, and your oven thermometer confirms the correct temp, but throughout the course of a longer bake, the temp fluctuates and lowers significantly from time to time. We have also noticed between our team recently that electric ovens bake faster than gas ovens, so sometimes those with gas ovens need quite a bit longer to bake through for these slightly longer bakes. I know you mentioned that you followed the recipe, but I just wonder how do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Check out Tessa’s article here, where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time. I hope you give this cookie cake another try sometime, and I hope something here has helped. Happy baking 🙂
Can you do the cookie part with the stand mixer?
Hi Edith! No mixer is necessary at all for the cookie part of this recipe, as the butter is melted, and the other ingredients just get mixed in, in the specified order! If you prefer to mix in the stand mixer, you can do so – just be cautious not to overmix! Let us know what you think once you have made this! Happy baking 🙂
So SO good! Everyone raved about this cake! Made it for my 7 year year olds Lego themed party! I did m&ms and chocolate chips! It was so perfectly moist and soft in the center! Will definitely make again 🙂
What will happen if you use regular
Flour?
Hi Nicole! As Tessa mentions in the pink tip box (above the recipe), “The bread flour in this recipe helps make the cookie cake ultra chewy and thick. If you don’t have any bread flour, feel free to use only all-purpose flour, though your cookie cake might lose some chewiness.” I hope that helps. Happy baking 🙂
This cake looks so good…have you ever paired this cake with what is called flour icing? its a cooked icing, that is not sweet like powdered sugar icing.. if youd like the recipe I can send it.. I bet it would put this cake over the top..
We haven’t tried that! Let us know how it goes if you pair that icing with this cake.
I made this in a 12” spring form pan for my son’s 16th birthday. He requested a cookie cake so I hoped Tessa had a recipe. It turned out perfectly. Thanks, Tessa!! I started checking it around 20 min, but ended up cooking it 33 min. Next time I’ll take it out at 30. It was great, but might be even better cooked a bit less and more chewy or gooey in the center. This was reminiscent of those mall cookie cakes, but flavor was so much better. My sister is now going to make it for her son’s bday.
So happy everyone enjoyed! Thanks for choosing our recipe to celebrate with 🙂
1) I love your brown butter and toffee chocolate chip cookie recipe! What adjustments would you recommend making to get a similar flavor? Perhaps an equivalent amount of browned butter and some toffee pieces?
2) If I halved this recipe, could I still bake it in the 9-inch pan and just expect a thinner cake?
Thank you!
Hi Lily! We haven’t experimented with making our Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies into a cookie cake, but we love that idea! You’ll have to let us know how it goes if you give it a try. If you halved this recipe, you’re welcome to still bake in the 9-inch pan, but it will definitely be thinner, so you’ll need to reduce the baking time. Good luck!
Would a 10 inch springform pan work? I don’t have a nine inch one.
Hi Shannon! While we haven’t tried that, it should work fine. Just know your cookie cake will be thinner and you’ll need to reduce the baking time. Please let us know what you think of this recipe 🙂