Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Who else grew up crossing alllll the fingers that a giant chocolate chip cookie cake would be served at your friend’s birthday party? It was the best, right?! Well, now you can make it at home! This easy chocolate chip cookie cake recipe comes together quickly and will be the hit of any birthday party. Add chocolate frosting and sprinkles to make it extra festive!
Anyone who grew up in the 1980s has at some point consumed a cookie cake, am I right? They definitely weren’t the typical go-to for birthday cakes, so when they made an appearance, everyone was insanely excited. Give me a party with a cookie cake or an ice cream cake, and I was one ecstatic little girl. One of my aunts, in particular, always served chocolate chip cookie cakes, so I was naturally excited for every one of my cousins’ birthday parties.
It’s amazing how one gigantic chocolate chip cookie can incite so much giddiness in a bunch of kids. I have a feeling it’s less about the cookie and more about the notion of something different and out of the ordinary. That is the same reason I still love cookie cakes as an adult!
Finding the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
When first brainstorming a recipe for a homemade chocolate chip cookie cake, I immediately thought of my favorite chocolate chip cookie that doesn’t require the dough to be refrigerated (thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies), but they tend to be a bit on the ooey and gooey side. While that’s absolutely perfect for cookies, it wouldn’t work as well for a “cake” that needs to be sliced and served.
After slightly increasing the flour and playing around with baking powder and baking soda, I had a perfect combination of flavor and sturdiness.
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This cookie cake bakes up super soft but with enough stability to not fall apart when it’s sliced, which is chocolate chip cookie cake perfection. The best part? It can be mixed together and in the oven in just 10 minutes; be ready to party in no time!
This can be served plain, with a big, dripping scoop of ice cream, or decorated with buttercream frosting (and sprinkles!). Anything goes here!
As you can see, when it comes to food, I’m definitely still a kid at heart.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (213 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper; set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugars together until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Turn the dough out into the prepared cake pan and use your fingers to press into an even layer. Bake until the cookie cake is light golden brown and the outer edges have started to harden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and plan the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Use a metal spatula to loosen the sides of the cake from pan, then turn it out and place it on a serving plate or platter. Serve or decorate as desired. Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in February 2014; updated in January 2020 with new photos and clearer recipe instructions.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
Made this for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Thank you!
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First time making this cookie cake and love love it. Will definitely be making this again. So simple, so easy & so delicious.
We frost the entire cake with store-bought marshmallow fluff! Then it has a s’moresy flavor combo
I want to make a 12 inch heart chocolate chip cookie cake. Do you think I should double this recipe and bake longer or will one batch be enough?
I have made this several times this year and it has become a favorite among my family! I make mine in a jelly roll pan so it makes it a little thinner (still thicker than store bought) and use the cooking times listed above! My husband says it is so much better than the famous store that makes them! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
This is my third time making this gluten free and it’s the beeeeest! Thank you!
Hands down the best cookie cake recipe. I’ve made this going on 3 years now for my kids birthdays. They love it. It’s easy to follow and make and comes out perfect every time. I use springform pans to make it easy to get out of the pan. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
This cookie cake hits allL the requirement! Moist, delicious, easy!! Love it so much! Made as a dessert for my kids as a treat but will definitely use again for a crowd! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
THIS QUARANTINE ISSUE PUSHES ME IN A CAKE MAKING MOOD. … FRIDAY MORNING I MADE THE CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE AND OMG! IS NEARLY GONE…
I HAD BEEN ENJOYING YOUR FANTASTIC, QUALITY CREATIONS!
HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVING YOUR EMAIL FOR SOME TIME NOW-HOPE YOU AND YOURS ARE ENJOYING GOOD HEALTH!
===E-MAIL SUBMITTED IN CONFIDENCE===
During this isolation time, I had desperately wanted to make a chocolate chip cookie. Well, Michele’s recipes never disappoint and that’s why I follow her! This was unbelievable! My family went crazy over it! So moist and chocolatey and delicious! Thank you so much, Michele! You’re amazing!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Denise! xo
This recipe is so good! Is there any way to get the edges not to lift? My edges are always higher than my center.
Hi Stacy, I recently heard someone offer a tip in the BEB Facebook group of leaving a little space between the dough and the pan edges when you spread it, so when it expands, it going out and not up :)
Can you please back off the ads! This website is ridiculous and hard to use on a mobile site with all the ada, it makes for a poor user experience.
I agree with Nickid. The final product looked great coming out of the oven but it was total mush on the inside. I suggest increasing the flour by 1/4 cup or only using one egg and half the vanilla. I’m a seasoned baker and should have trusted my experience with the texture of the dough while when putting it in.
Michelle – thanks so much for reposting this recipe. My daughter isn’t much for cake, cupcakes, even most cookies…. but she does like a chocolate chip cookie so I made this for one of her b-day celebrations recently and it was a huge hit! I love the size and texture. I did have to bake mine a little longer than you indicated, but there are variations from oven to oven so that’s not a huge surprise. Just approached it like I would with a cc cookie – brown around edges and just set in the middle and let it cool in pan to complete the bake. We lived it and I will make again and again! Also used your chocolate frosting recipe to decorate – the one made in the food processor with butter, cocoa, melted chocolate, corn syrup, etc…. maybe you could post a link to that recipe with this one? Or maybe you did and I missed it. In any case – it was really good!
So glad this was enjoyed by all! Thanks for the suggestion to link out to that other chocolate frosting recipe, will do that!
This cookie cake is out of this world good. Turned out great. Very easy. It needs no frosting. Plenty rich. When I went to make it I found I was almost out of all purpose flour! I called the KAF baking hotline and they told me to use equal parts bread flour and pastry flour . Delicious.
With so many good reviews, but some less than good on the baking time, I tried this at 350* for 30 minutes. Took it out and it was total mush in the middle and even though the edges were brown, underneath was still mush. My oven thermometer is right on, pan size correct and I am a very experienced baker. This looked nothing like your photo. I tried to salvage the mush by returning to the oven for another 10 minutes but the product was just not edible. This was a waste of ingredients. Sorry to say it went in the trash.
Awesome recipe! I was concerned when taking it out of the oven, that it had not cooked long enough but it was perfect! Delish!