Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Anyone who grew up in the 1980’s 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. One of my aunts, in particular, had a definite thing for them, so anytime one of my cousins had a birthday, I knew we would be eating cookie cake. 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!
I haven’t had one in years, but within a week’s time, I had a reader email me to ask if I had a recipe for one, and one of my best friends texted me to ask me the same question. It felt like the universe was trying to tell me that it would be a good time to make a chocolate chip cookie, so I obliged.
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 adding playing around with baking powder and baking soda, I had a perfect combination of flavor and sturdiness.
You could serve this plain, with ice cream, or decorate the top with some buttercream icing for a party. Or you could do what I did – keep slicing off a little sliver at a time until it’s ALL.GONE. When it comes to food, I’m definitely still a kid at heart.
MY OTHER RECIPES
One year ago: DIY: Homemade Nutella
Two years ago: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Three years ago: White Chocolate-Coconut Brownies
Four years ago: Oven-Fried Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
Six years ago: Chicken and Dumplings
Seven years ago: Maple-Hazelnut Oatmeal
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Who doesn’t love a throwback chocolate chip cookie cake?!
Ingredients:
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 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 on a serving plate or platter. Serve or decorate as desired. Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Did you make this recipe?
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This sounds like almost the best thing in the world. Dying xo
I love cookie cakes! I’d rather have this than birthday cake and many years in the 80s as a kid, I did! pinned 🙂
thank you for this! I need to make one!
Thank you for the recipe! This chocolate chip cookie cake looks heavenly delicious! Can’t wait to try!
Dozens of useless comments from people who “can’t wait to try it “.
Ikr, how am i supposed to know what actually tastes good…
Love cookie cake… but it needs something if really big font cursive frosting 🙂
I grew up in the 90s…which means I had real birthday cake for birthdays. SO SAD.
But, I have now had my fair share of cookie cakes and I <3 them!
This one looks ah-may-zing. I wish it was my birthday today.
Maybe i'll pretend..
Thanks for posting….this is a big hit with college kids. It ships well and remains moist.
What a simple yet fabulous idea. Love this and I am going to make it right away! thanks for sharing
Thank you so much! I was looking for a recipe like this last October to make for my son’s birthday. Even though he’s grown and married now he still loves a good cookie cake! I just couldn’t find one that seemed worth trying, but now I have! Will definitely make this for him. Thanks again!
What timing! I am making a cookie cake tomorrow for my boyfriend’s birthday! This looks delicious 😀
Happy Birthday to your boyfriend! 🙂
Thank you!! He has certainly benefited from quite a few recipes from your blog 😉 You are my favorite place to come for delicious recipes! Thank you for all of them!
Looks fantastic! Wish I had a big slice for breakfast!!
Thank you soo much for posting this I was the fan who emailied you about a recipe your the best.. Give those puppies a hug from a fellow pittsburgher!!
Cookie cake!!! These remind me so much of my childhood!
I have never had a cookie cake and I’ve been wanting to make one for ages! Yours looks so crispy, thick, and chewy. Perfect!
Gorgeous! I love cookies way more than cake. I will take this for my birthday any time.
This looks so good! It’s funny because I needed to make a cookie cake a few weeks ago and first place I came was to your site. Wish I had this recipe then! 🙂
Yum! Sadly even as a child of the 80s, I never had this for a birthday! Definitely time to rectify that!
Oh man, I loved those cookie cakes! This looks so good, I could see this disappearing in one night!
I have always wanted to make one of these 🙂 I always had them for my birthday! Looks delicious!
Now I know what to do with the chocolate chips that wink at me each time I open the cabinet.
Me and this cake need to be alone for a while….so good.
I’m making it right now…..looks so yummy! (And it’s not even anyone’s birthday!)
Well, it’s been cooling for about 30 minutes and is now minus one piece…..delicious! I used a 9″ pie plate and also threw in about 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats. I love it when I see a recipe and I actually have all the ingredients on hand. Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful recipes!
Did the pie pan work well? Any other tips or tricks that you will try next time? I am making this Wednesday and I won’t have time or extra ingredients to make a trail! Thanks for any input!
Was your batter really watery?
Looks amazing! I’m going to make this for my kid.
Hoping for a new cupcake recipe soon… please? 🙂
i love these. yum!
I too came from a family crazy for cookie cakes. This looks wonderful.
Loving this recipe, I need to get some cookie cake back in my life, thanks for sharing!
I couldn’t control myself and made this with my kids yesterday. So good, half gone already and I ate most of it. I wish I could post a picture it was perfect!
I love this! Cannot wait to try it ASAP! I would love to try it as mini versions in a cupcake pan!
Love that you’ve served it with a scoop of icecream, it just seems so right. What a fun and simple birthday cake this would make.
I love this cookie cake, it would make a great base for ice cream!
I’ve never even heard of a cookie cake – it looks so amazing! But I would end up eating the whole thing, it’s just one cookie right?
The Macadame. xx
http://www.creamstop.com
Ohhh I made this on Friday, my nine year old grandson and my husband really liked this. Thanks for a delicious treat. I really enjoy your blog. Have a great Pittsburgh weekend!!!
So I have heard of cookies and I have heard of cakes but how smart to combine in one!
I made this recipe yesterday expecting it to be tasty, but it turned out DELICIOUS! I myself just call this a cookie pizza because I just cut a slice and eat it like one, except its filled with buttery crust and sweet chocolate chips instead of cheese. SO good and SO glad I made it!
What’s with the past tense?? I have had a cookie cake from Great American Cookie Company for like my past five birthdays, the last of which was #33. 😉 Of course, that will probably be the last one until they change things over there–I died a little inside when I realized, just this past year, that they still have the dreaded trans fat in their products. I will have to console myself with this recipe!!
I’m making this right now! Can’t wait to taste it! Should the baking powder be included in step 2? I’m assuming yes, as I don’t see it listed elsewhere and it is a dry ingredient, but just wanted to clarify. Thanks as always for your wonderful recipes!!!
Hi Amy, Yes! My apologies for that omission; I am correcting the recipe right now. So sorry for any inconvenience!
I made this on Saturday to bring to a friends house for dinner. We all loved it! We served it with vanilla ice cream.
i don’t know what it is because nothing happens or no error given but i have a hard time pinning your recipes from your blog.
made this last week and it was so good!
but- i think the 8″ pan i used left it a bit undercooked
do they make a 9″ disposable??
Hi Susan, I’m not sure what is available in terms of disposable cake pans, I’ve never seen them – I’ve only seen roasting pans, square pans and loaf pans.
Cookie cakes!!!! I don’t like cake (even though I bake cupcakes all the time), so I STILL get cookie cakes on my birthday. 🙂
This looks absolutely divine! I love cookies and cake- so combining the two is pure genius! 🙂
Hi!!! I just discovered your blog and I loved it … I will try more than one of your recipes. Thanks for publishing
My little girl and I made your wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookie cake, and it just came out of the oven and looks amazing! If it’s anything like your Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie bars, then I’m in trouble. 🙂 Thanks for all of your yummy recipes.
this looks lovely.
i have never been privalage to such a thing.is this because im in the uk iu wonder?or just unlucky.
is this like a cookie or is it like a cake-texutre wise i mean-?
Hi Kate, It’s basically a massive cookie!
It’s like you read my mind! My husband gets a cookie cake every year for his birthday (which is this weekend) because he prefers cookies to the traditional birthday treat. I’m glad to have a new recipe to try this year.
Absolutely delicious! I’ve already eaten 3/4 of all cake! But I can still say, that I ate just 3/4 of the one cookie, am I right? 😉
I printed the recipe before you made a correction of baking powder’s addition, so I didn’t add it, but it also turned out great 🙂 Love the recipe, will make it again for sure!
I made this cake tonight. I used a 9-inch springform. It baked 30 minutes and it still wasn’t done in the middle (I thought it was done and took it out). I did nuke individual pieces just a little bit just to cook the center and it was delicious. Sweet; so next time I might use dark chocolate chips. I assume it could be baked in bigger/smaller pans.
This looks amazing! It took no time to find this amazing looking cake. I just can’t wait to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday, cookies are his favorite!
Leftovers good for up to 5 days….hahaha…that cookie cake would not last 5 hours at my house! Looks heavenly. I’ll remember this next time I need a good dessert 😀
I made this for my husband’s birthday and it was unbelievably good! Even better than the cookie cakes I remember from my youth. Thanks so much for sharing!
I used a 9 inch springform pan and it worked perfectly.
Just checking that the baking time is correct. I baked this for about 30 mins. and when I turned it out onto a platter the center was still raw. I put it back into the pan and baked it for another 20 mins.
Hi Anita, The baking time is correct, and it definitely should not need an additional 20 minutes, or it would be severely overdone. Did you by any chance use a smaller pan?
Your green bean casserole recipe changed my life, so I’m going to try this;)
I made this today and followed the recipe exactly and was diasppointed with the taste. It was very bland, but had a very good consistency. Won’t be making this recipe again, but for those who do, I recommend much sugar and vanilla extract.
Hi Michelle!
I made this once already and it was amazing! Now I need to make two for my sons birthday party this weekend. Do you think I can double it and just split the batter between two pans or should I make them separate?
Thank you!
Desiree
Hi Desiree, Yes, you could definitely double the recipe and split the dough. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Michelle,
I doubled this for my son’s 2nd birthday party and it was amazing. Thank you again! My cookie monster was very happy 🙂
This sounds divine! Do you think I can double the recipe and make it a rectangle on a cookie sheet?
Hi Sarah, Yes, certainly!
I grew up and live in Pakistan so we dont have cookie cakes here unfortunately!
Ive heard alot about them and my sister in Texas had one and said i MUST try to make it as im a baker. Im trying this today for sure 😀
Just one question, Is it necessary to line the bottom with parchment paper or can i just dust it with oil and flour like regular cakes?
Hi Tayyaba, You could grease and flour, for sure. I always line my cake pans with parchment as extra protection against breaking when turning them out, but if you feel comfortable just greasing and flouring, then that’s definitely okay.
I was bored one day, and decided to make this. It looks perfect in the picture, so I put my baking skills to the test and tried this recipe out. Well, that’s when I realized I had no baking skills and somehow managed to mess this whole thing up. Mine looked super pretty, but ended up tasting terrible and dry. I should just leave the baking to the pros… 🙂
Ok, update. I got it down! I finally made it correctly and it tastes great! I like to put a thin layer of chocolate icing on it. It is quite amazing and definitely a guilty pleasure of mine…
This recipe was perfect for a late night dessert craving:) I made this on a total whim last night at 9pm, and then enjoyed it with hubby while catching up on Downton Abbey.
Is it 12 tablespoons of butter? Do you know how many cups that would be?
Hi Elisa, Yes, 12 tablespoons of butter. That’s ¾ cup.
Made this for my family today and it was a hit! My nephews liked it better than the ice cream we served it with.
The 20-25 mins at 325 didn’t cook it all the way thru. Going to try for maybe 30 to 35 mins instead
Just made this for my 6 year olds birthday…… awesomeness. He asked for an m&m cookie cake. I used large milk chocolate chips, keeping the amount at one cup while doubling the rest of therecipe to fill a 13 inch round pan. I decrated with mini m&ms. It was a huge sucess. I did increase the bake time to 60mins. It made 16 slices and was fantastic! I will keep this recipe a while:)
I am making this now. I’m using a 9 inch pan, and followed the directions exactly but it will not get done in the middle! When I stick a toothpick in the middle the center is still gooey. I know it’s not my oven, because I’ve never had this problem before and cook/bake regularly. I’ve had it in the oven for almost 40 mins. now.. Any suggestions?
Just made a half batch of this and it was amazing.
It was crisp and yet not completely baked through~ it probably needed more time in the oven to bake completely though but i like it this way.
Leftovers? Hahahahahahahahah
There will be no leftovers
I plan to make this and take it to visiting day at my children’s camp. What frosting would be best to use, considering it will be traveling with me for 24 hours before it is devoured on sight?
Hi Tracy, Any type of traditional buttercream frosting should work!
Hey Ya’ll –
the recipe is great but I think they meant to say to bake it at 375! Not 325….. do not bake it at 325 like we did! ha! way too gooey!
I agree with the others who say the cooking time is wrong—mine was still uncooked in the middle after 25 minutes. 20 minutes more in the oven and i think it’s done.
Is it best to bake the dough right away or can it be made ahead of time and refrigerated? If so, how long can it be stored before using? Thanks for sharing what sounds like a delicious recipe!
Hi Kim, Yes, you can make this ahead of time and refrigerate it before baking. I would say up to 2 days in advance.
Great!! That will save me a lot of time, as I can make it tonight & bake it with everything else I’ll be making on Saturday for my husband and his twin’s birthday 🙂 Thanks!!
Wow! I doubled the recipe and used 2 9-inch springform pans to make this cake. It was unbelievably good. I wasn’t expecting a cookie cake to be this exciting, but something about the thickness of the crust while still being gooey yet firm enough to hold its shape…perfect. There can’t be a better recipe for cookie cake out there! I will say that I too had to bake a lot longer, probably 35 minutes. Thanks for this recipe!
I’m looking for fun cake that I can put ice cream in the middle of and make a layer ‘ice cream cake’ any thoughts on if this would do well in a somewhat frozen state? Thinking covered in a chocolate ganache..
Hi Alicia, It will be pretty firm frozen, but if you let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before serving, I think it should work!
I have made this three times, but it never seems to cook completely. It’s delicious and we eat it anyways, but it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. I even increased the temp to 350 degrees and I cook it for 30 minutes. The inside is still gooey. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Lyn, I did cook mine at 325 and it came out as you can see above – not gooey. Some other folks have mentioned that they baked it at 375 – you can try that to see if it turns out better for you.
I made this for my son’s birthday in a 9-inch cake pan as directed, but should have listened to my baker’s gut telling me this was waaaay too much dough for the size of the pan. Sure enough, it was doughy in the middle and literally fell apart in my hands when I turned it out. On the plus side, it was ridiculously yummy, and the little boys at the party all agreed that it was miles better than the cookie cake I bought to replace it. Will definitely make again in a larger pan.
Hi! My husband loves this cake but he loves peanut butter even more. Is there any way to add it to this recipe? What would be the ratios? Thanks so much!
Hi Audrey, This is my favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, you could use this dough:
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/salted-peanut-butter-cup-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Hi Michelle,
Can I leave the egg and make this cookie cake, or is there any substitute for the egg? I need an eggless version. Please help.
You can’t just omit the egg, but I’ve never tried to use any type of substitute, so unfortunately I can’t say for sure what would be successful.
Oh… Fine. Thanks Michelle
very highly recommend, made in a standard springform pan. took on the longer side of cook time to be done. very good the next day too!! i decorated it with chocolate icing along the edge and sprinkles for a bday cake. was very popular.
I can’t wait to make this I have been looking for a cookie cake recipe!