This soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie cake recipe with a simple buttercream frosting is easily adaptable to what you have on hand. No need to chill this easy, one bowl cookie dough. Let’s bake and then celebrate!

overhead shot of chocolate chip cookie cake

Use this easy, one bowl chocolate chip cookie cake recipe to make a giant chewy chocolate chip cookie in a cake pan. All the flavor of your favorite chewy chocolate chip cookie baked and decorated like a cake!

This cookie cake is easy like a pizookie or this peanut butter skillet cookie, but festive like funfetti cake or chocolate cupcakes!  

  • Easily customizable for a festive appearance. A super-easy buttercream frosting adds sweetness and a festive twist on typical birthday desserts. Customize with any color(s) and pipe on your cookie cake for your own take!
  • Extra soft & chewy texture. Cornstarch & an extra egg yolk make this chocolate chip cookie cake extra soft and chewy.
  • Easy, no-chill dough. Make this cookie dough using simple pantry staples then press into a lined cake pan and bake. The dough comes together in one bowl with melted butter for the easiest cookie cake recipe!
  • Easy to slice and serve a crowd! Serves 12-16.
  • Let the cake cool completely before cutting. It is tempting to rush but cutting cookie cakes before they cool will make them appear under-baked and doughy even if they were perfectly cooked.
  • How to write on a cookie cake? The easiest way to write on a cookie cake is using a small round piping tip and American buttercream like the one in this recipe. You can also make a cornet following my YouTube tutorial and pipe a message using melted chocolate!
  • Line the cake pan with foil. Lining with foil will ensure the cake comes off the bottom and sides easily! You could also use a spring form pan with foil on the bottom.
chocolate chip cookie cake close up

Ingredients Needed

  • All-Purpose Flour. All-purpose flour has all the gluten you need for chewy cookies.
  • Baking Soda: There is just enough baking soda to provide a little leavening but not so much as to make the cookie cake “cakey,” because if you wanted cake you would have made a devil’s food cake.
  • Cornstarch. Cornstarch is the magic ingredient for extra chewy chocolate chip cookies because it is a dry ingredient without adding any gluten.
  • Kosher salt. I use kosher salt for all my baking because it is less salty per teaspoon than table salt.
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Brown Sugar. Using light brown sugar or dark brown sugar in this recipe add moisture and flavor from the molasses and it also adds to the chewiness of this cookie cake recipe.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Egg + Egg Yolk. That extra egg yolk adds fat without the moisture of the extra egg white, which will also make this cookie cake chewier. 
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • Sprinkles. Sprinkles are optional theoretically, but in my mind birthdays require sprinkles like in these funfetti cupcakes or funfetti cookies!  Now it’s a party!
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Milk. Use any milk or alternative milk you choose to thin out the buttercream to piping consistency.
  • Gel Food Coloring. I prefer gel food coloring to liquid food coloring typically found in the baking aisle of grocery stores because it is more concentrated. Using less means you don’t thin out the buttercream. I use AmeriColor but ChefMaster also makes a more affordable yet quality product with vibrant colors.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations & Substitutions

  • Add more than just chocolate chips: Add up to ¾ cup chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts, M&M’s, peanut butter chips, rolled oats, butterscotch chips, sprinkles or some combination of all of them!
  • Make it into cookies: Yes! You absolutely can use this same dough to make chewy chocolate chip cookies. I would recommend chilling the dough for the thickest cookies like the best chocolate chip cookie recipe!
  • Use a different buttercream. Use this cream cheese frosting for cookies, a chocolate buttercream frosting or even an easy lemon buttercream!
  • Brown the butter. Oh shoot.  Yes, you can brown the butter! Let cool to body temperature before using and reduce the flour by ¼ cup!
chocolate chip cookie cake with candles in it

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan) and line a 12-inch cake pan with aluminum foil. You can also use a 10-inch cake pan or 9-inch cake pan (see Recipe Notes for recommended bake times for these sizes).

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cornstarch, & salt). In large bowl whisk the melted butter with the sugars until smooth, followed by the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until emulsified and smooth.

Step 3: Stir the flour mixture the butter sugar mixture to form a soft, thick dough. Stir in the chocolate chips along with any other mix-ins you desire.

This whole recipe can be made by hand without using an electric mixer, but you could make it using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment particularly if making a large batch.

Step 3: Press the mixture into your prepared pan and top with extra chocolate chips or sprinkle, if you want. Bake the cookie cake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown and the top is lightly golden.

Step 4: Allow the cookie cake to cool completely in the pan before removing from the pan.

Step 5: Remove the cookie cake from the pan and the foil, then place on a serving plate.

Step 6: Make the buttercream frosting by beating together powdered sugar, softened butter, salt, and vanilla extract. Add milk after the frosting comes together as a soft paste. You can add more milk if needed to make the frosting thinner.

I colored the frosting with pink gel food coloring. Gel food coloring is more concentrated than liquid food coloring, which won’t thin out your frosting and will give you more vibrant colors. Liquid food coloring can be used in a pinch.

Step 7: Pipe or spread frosting on the cake, if desired. Serve on your favorite cake stand or a serving platter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store chocolate chip cookie cake?

Store baked, frosted cake at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerated for up to 10 days. Store baked, un-frosted cakes frozen for up to 2 months. Simply thaw and frost when ready to use!

Can I make this into chocolate chip cookie bars?

Absolutely, press this same recipe into a square baking dish and bake as directed, or press into a 9×13-inch rectangular pan for a thinner cookie cake. Cool, decorate as desired and then slice!

What is the best way to cut a cookie cake?

I think a serrated knife makes for the cleanest slicing. It cuts easily through the chocolate chips, but any sharp knife will do!

More Celebration-Worthy Cake Recipes!

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overhead shot of chocolate chip cookie cake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

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  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: 16 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This celebration-worthy chocolate chip cookie cake is soft, chewy and perfectly oversized to feed a crowd for a birthday party or any special occasion.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the cookie:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
  • Sprinkles for topping, if desired

For the frosting:

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
  • Gel food color, if desired

Instructions

  1. First, make the cookie cake: Heat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 12-inch round cake pan with aluminum foil; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt until combined. In a separate medium bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir ingredients together into a soft, thick dough. Stir in chocolate chips.
  3. Press dough evenly into prepared pan. Top with a few more chocolate chips, if desired (this is purely for looks!). Bake 17 to 21 minutes or until top of cookie cake is lightly golden brown and edges of cake are golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a cooling rack, about 1 hour.
  4. Use foil to carefully remove cookie cake from pan; peel off foil, and transfer cookie cake to a large serving plate.
  5. Next, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat powdered sugar and softened butter until combined. Add pinch of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat on medium speed until smooth; add more milk if needed to form a smooth, pipeable frosting. Beat in gel food color, if using.
  6. Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a decorating tip. Pipe frosting on cookie cake as desired. Immediately top with sprinkles, if desired. Serve immediately, or store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • You can freeze this cookie cake, fully baked and cooled, unfrosted. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil; freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, covered, at room temperature until soft enough to cut.
  • If you don’t have a 12-inch cake pan and don’t want to buy one, you can press this dough into a foil-lined 10-inch cake pan or 9-inch cake pan, though the dough will be much thicker. Add 12-15 minutes to the bake time; check the dough as it bakes to make sure it’s not under-baked or over-baked.
  • Adapted from Sally’s Baking Recipes.