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This homemade cookie cake looks and tastes better than store-bought. I’ll teach you how to make a chocolate chip cookie cake that is soft, chewy, and perfect for any special occasion. Plus, a chocolate frosting that is optional but easy and delicious!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
This cake has the chewy, soft texture that you get with chewy chocolate chip cookies, but it’s still sturdy and thick enough to be served as a cake with frosting. Plus, when you follow my easy step-by-step instructions, you can have it ready in just 30 minutes (no chilling time needed)!
This cake is basically foolproof and always a huge hit for celebrations. If you were a fan of those giant cookie cakes our parents used to get us at Great American Cookies (or was that just me?), you’ll love this even more! Keep reading for my best cookie cake tips and decorating ideas!
What is a Cookie Cake?
A cookie cake is a large, single-layer cookie that is typically baked in a round shape. It’s similar to a giant cookie and is often decorated with frosting and sprinkles. Cookie cakes are popular for celebrations such as birthdays and special occasions, and they are often served in slices like a cake.
Why you’ll love this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe
This is one of my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes because it’s a cookie in cake form! What’s not to love? Here are a few of the reasons you’ll love this recipe:
- Cuts cleanly for perfect cookie cake slices
- Perfect for birthday cake or special occasions
- Easily customizable with frosting and colorful sprinkles but just as good without it
- Ready in just 30 minutes
- Chewy, soft texture with golden brown edges
Cookie Cake Recipe Ingredients
Most of the ingredients needed for this cookie cake are simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand. Keep reading for all my best tips, decorating ideas, and the full recipe with measurements and instructions. Here’s what you’ll need:
Cookie
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Unsalted butter: room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting
- Unsalted butter: room temperature
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Dash milk or heavy cream: if the frosting becomes too thick
How to make a Cookie Cake
Nothing says happy birthday better than a cookie cake decorated with frosting and sprinkles, right? Your whole family will love this cake! Get the full recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below. Here are the easy steps to make the perfect cookie cake:
Cake
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan or pie pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper circle. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and ¾ cup of chocolate chips. Save the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips for the top of the cake. Set aside.
- Mix butter and sugars. In a larger mixing bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. You want this mixture to be fluffy and pale in color.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be very thick.
- Add batter to pan, bake and cool. Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and press the dough into an even layer in the pan. Press the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips onto the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the cake turns golden in color and the edges are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Remove from pan. Use a thin spatula to loosen the sides of the cake, then turn it upside down and tap the bottom of the pan until the cake releases. Place the cookie cake on a serving plate.
Frosting
- Whip butter. Place the room-temperature unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium and beat the butter for 30-60 seconds until whipped and fluffy.
- Add ingredients. Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl until everything is incorporated.
- Adjust thickness. If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or heavy cream and beat until creamy.
- Transfer to bag and pipe. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fit with a piping tip and decorate the cookie cake as desired.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe Substitutions & Variations
While I prefer to keep this recipe just as it is, here are some variation ideas if you want to change it some:
- Use a different type of chocolate chip: I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could use any type you like (dark, sweet, white chocolate, peanut butter).
- Add nuts: If you like nuts and want to add some crunch, add in your favorite nuts (I recommend chopping them).
- Make a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie cake: To make this recipe gluten-free, swap the flour with gluten-free flour. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure All Purpose Flour as a 1:1 substitute.
Best Cookie Cake Recipe Tips
For best results, here are some cookie cake tips:
- Room temperature butter: Be sure to use room temperature butter, softened but not melted, for both the cake and the frosting. In the cake, this helps to create a chewy texture, and in the frosting, it will allow you to whip the butter.
- Don’t over-mix: Mix just until combined, and don’t worry if the batter is thick; it’s supposed to be. Over-mixing can make your cake tough versus the soft texture we want.
- Don’t over-bake: Be sure to remove your cookie cake from the oven when the center is golden brown and the edges are set.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from pan: Allowing your cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan will help it fully set and create that soft, chewy center. Plus, it will make it easier to remove from the pan without it breaking apart.
- Use a parchment paper circle for easy release: Even though you’re spraying the pan so the cake doesn’t stick, adding parchment paper to the inside of the pan will make it really easy to get the cake out.
Cookie Cake Decorating Ideas
I like to frost my cookie cake with chocolate frosting around the edges of the cake, then top with sprinkles. However, there are many ways to decorate a cookie cake. Here are some ideas:
- Frost the cake: Use the chocolate frosting in this recipe, or try vanilla frosting, cool whip frosting, or even homemade whipped cream. You can also use food coloring to make colored frosting for the cake if you’re going for a certain theme.
- Write in frosting: If you feel comfortable with frosting, you can write a message in frosting in the center of the cake.
- Other toppings: Top with any fun toppings you want, like rainbow sprinkles, a chocolate drizzle, candy, edible glitter, or more chocolate chips.
- Other shapes: You could cut the cake into a large shape, such as a heart for Valentine’s Day.
How to Store Homemade Cookie Cake
If your cookie cake is frosted, you should store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. If not frosted, you can keep it at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
For longer storage, you can freeze this cookie cake. It’s best to freeze it without frosting on it. To freeze, first, make sure the cookie cake is fully cooled. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to serve, and then frost if desired.
Best Homemade Cookie Cake Recipe FAQs
For this recipe, I recommend using a 9-inch round cake pan.
Cookie cake is not quite the same as a cookie. While the flavor and texture is similar, the recipe is different to accommodate for the large size and thickness required to make this work as a cake that can be sliced.
To keep the cake from sticking to the pan, spray the inside of the pan with non-stick cooking spray, and then line the pan with a parchment paper circle.
Cookie cakes taste different than cookies because they have a different texture due to longer bake times (needed to cook center of the cake through) and the different ratios of ingredients used in the recipe.
You can tell that your cookie cake is done when the center of the cake is golden brown and the edges are set.
More Chocolate Chip Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Quinoa Bars
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
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Best Cookie Cake (Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe)
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 180 grams
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- dash milk or heavy cream if frosting becomes too thick
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan or pie pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper circle. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and ¾ cup of chocolate chips. Save the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips for the top of the cake. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. You want this mixture to be fluffy and pale in color.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be very thick.
- Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and press the dough into an even layer in the pan. Press the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips onto the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the cake turns golden in color and the edges are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Use a thin spatula to loosen the sides of the cake, then turn it upside down and tap the bottom of the pan until the cake releases. Place the cookie cake on a serving plate.
Frosting
- Place the room temperature unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium and beat the butter for 30-60 seconds, until whipped and fluffy.
- Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt, beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or heavy cream, and beat until creamy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fit with a piping tip and decorate the cookie cake as desired.
This was so easy to make and everyone loved how soft and chewy the middle was and a slight crunch at the edge. Definitely better than the store bought versions!
This chocolate chip cookie cake was so easy and most importantly delicious. I made it for my nieces 6th birthday, she loves cookies but not cake so it was perfect and she loved it. I used the safe recipe and made cookies to put on her cake as well as put some in a box for her. She was in chocolate chip cookie heaven!!! Thank you Beth for another awesome recipe!!! Wish I could post a picture.
I made the Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe for my daughter’s birthday party and everyone loved it! My guest were requesting to take slices home which was more than fine since I made 5 cakes so everyone could at least have 1 slice.
Recipe was easy to follow, even making 5 different cakes took just over an hour with having enough pans for each cake.
This for sure is going to be a Cookie Cake that will be made for many birthdays to come!
If I wanted to make a sheet pan cookie cake, do you think I should double or triple the recipe?
Hi Cory! I recommend following this recipe – it’s chocolate chip cookie bars baked in a 9×13 inch.
https://thefirstyearblog.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/