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This cookie cake recipe is soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate chips—perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or anytime you’re craving a giant cookie! Easy to make with pantry staples and customizable with your favorite frosting and toppings. A fun dessert everyone will love!
There’s just something extra special about a cookie cake—it’s the perfect mash-up of a soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie and a celebratory cake. This easy cookie cake recipe comes together with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, and it always disappears.
We have been making cookie cake in our house for decades! It is often highly requested for birthdays for a Chocolate Cake. Although I am still partial to the Chocolate Cream Cake that I grew up with every year on my birthday.
I think we first started making this when I was in high school. It was about that time when the cookie stores in the mall started selling them with different decorations. But I will be honest, the store bought ones are always dry in my opinion. So we started making our own, and haven’t stopped since.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Cookie Dough – I include my go to Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie dough in the recipe card, but you really can use any type of cookie dough you like. You can use a tube of store bought dough if that is what you have.
- Frosting – I used my favorite Easy Chocolate Frosting for this, but most of the time my family requests Vanilla Frosting. Whatever you like works great!
- Sprinkles – You can decorate with sprinkles or colored frosting or whatever you like to make it festive for whatever you are serving it for.
How To Make Cookie Cake
- Make Dough. If you are using a homemade cookie dough you cream the butter and sugars together and make cookie dough like you normally would. Add in your chocolate chips and make sure they are evenly distributed.
- Bake. Press the cookie dough into a pan. I like to use a springform pan so I can remove it and slice easily. But you can use a take pan or a pizza pan as well. The recipe makes enough for 2 cake pans, or you can make 1 larger pizza size. Bake until golden brown on the top and just barely set. You want to under bake the cookie as it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven.
- Cool. Let the cookie cake cool completely. You can place it in the fridge if you are in a hurry, but if you frost while it is still warm the frosting will just melt.
- Frost. Spread your frosting over the cookie cake or use a piping bag and tips to decorate with an image, write words or just pipe along the edge. Immediately add sprinkles if desired.
- Serve. You can serve immediately after frosting, just slice into pieces and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do Not Over Bake. This is the number one tip and most important part. The cookie will continue to bake when you take it out of the oven. And it is thin, so it will dry out quickly. Take it out of the oven when it is barely done or even slightly under done for the absolute best results.
- Get Creative. How you decorate your cookie cake is entirely up to you. My family are those people that enjoy cake or other desserts because of the frosting, so we usually frost the entire cake with frosting and decorate. But you can pipe along the edges just to give it color and make it festive if you aren’t big on frosting.
- Cool. Make sure to let the cookie cool completely before frosting. The frosting will melt and become a mess if the cookie is still at all warm.
- Cookie Dough. You really can use any cookie dough for this. I prefer a homemade cookie dough, my favorite recipe is listed below. But if you have a favorite or even want to try it with Sugar Cookie Dough or want to take a shortcut and use store bought dough, so for it!
Storage
You can make a cookie cake the day before you want to serve it. Just don’t slice into it and it will stay fresh and delicious. Any leftovers you can cover or keep in an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days.
A traditional batch of cookie dough will make 2 9-inch cake pans or if you have a larger pizza pan, you can make 1 large cookie cake.
More Celebratory Dessert Recipes
Cookie Cake
Ingredients
Cookie Cake
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Chocolate Frosting
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
Make Cake
- Preheat oven to 350º F
- In a stand mixer cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.3/4 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg and vanilla and beat until the egg is fully incorporated.1 whole large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix until everything is just barely combined.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly incorporated.1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- Press dough into 2 9-inch cake pans or a spring form pans, 1 large pizza pan. You can use half the dough for 1 cake, and bake cookies or freeze the leftover dough for another cake.
- Bake cake pans for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden and just barely set. A large pizza pan will take closer to 18 minutes. Watch closely because it will depend on how thick your dough and each oven varies.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Make Frosting
- Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment for an electric stand mixer whip butter until it is smooth and creamy.1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until it is combined.2 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/8 tsp salt
- Add vanilla and slowly pour in milk, beating until it is smooth and your desired consistency. Adjust milk or sugar as necessary if your frosting is to thick or thin.1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 Tablespoon milk
Frost/Decorate
- Once the cookie has cooled spread or pipe the frosting over the cake to decorate. Use sprinkles, colored frosting or whatever decorations you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thank you for sharing easy recipes with simple ingredients .