Homemade Cookie Cake Recipe

This easy and Chewy Cookie Cake Recipe is the perfect way to celebrate birthdays or other special occasions! It tastes so much better than store-bought and only costs about $8 to make! Leave unfrosted or top with my favorite vanilla buttercream and sprinkles for a simple homemade cake!

Love this recipe? Explore my other cookie cake flavors!

What makes this the best cookie cake recipe?

1. A chewy, soft texture while still sturdy enough to eat without a fork.
2. Cuts cleanly without crumbling or being too doughy.
3. The dough can be mixed in one bowl (need a mixer for the frosting)
4. The frosting slightly hardens, making this easy to make ahead without worrying about the frosting "melting".
5. It only costs about $8 to make - forget the $20 store-bought ones!
6. Don't have a cookie cake pan? Use my DIY pan hack below, turn it into a Sheet Pan Cookie Cake or turn it into Chewy M&M Cookie Bars!

NEW! For those asking, I turned this popular recipe into a Chewy Gluten-Free Cookie Cake!

Tips to Make the BEST Cookie Cake:

1. Use melted butter and mix by hand: The melted butter in this chocolate chip cookie dough makes it super smooth and helps it bake up into the perfect chewy, yet sturdy cookie. Rather than whipping air into it and making the dough light and fluffy, mixing by hand allows it to have a denser texture (and also makes it easier to press into the pan as it's not sticky!).
2. Spread into a 11.5" Metal Round Pan (or a 9x13 metal pan or DIY foil cookie cake pan): The key to the perfect cookie cake is only spreading the dough to be about ½" thick. If you use a smaller pan, the dough will be thicker and require a longer baking time. If you use a larger pan, the dough will be spread too thin and result in a crispy cookie.
3. Do Not Overbake: This is the trick to the perfect, SOFT, chewy cookie cake. Take it out when the top is slightly brown and the center looks like it is baked through. My oven bakes the perfect cookie cake in 12 minutes in my 11.5" pan, but you just want to keep a close eye on it to prevent it from baking too long (no one likes crunchy cookie cakes!).
4. Allow to FULLY cool before removing from pan: To remove from pan, use a knife to go around the edges, place a flat platter or baking sheet on top (must be larger than the cake and not be indented in the middle), then flip over the pan to remove. If you used parchment paper, this should come out rather smoothly. After flipping over the cookie cake, flip it over again on the final decorate plate or platter (I LOVE these cute paper serving platters and the largest one in the pack is perfect for a 11.5 cookie cake).

What You Need to Make This Cookie Cake Recipe:

• For the Cookie Cake: butter, white sugar, light brown sugar, 1 egg, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, flour, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• For the Homemade Frosting (optional): butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and a little milk.
• 11.5" Round Cookie Cake Pan (don't have one? scroll for alternatives & instructions!)
• Large star piping tip (if you plan to pipe!)
• Sprinkles, duh!

NEW! For those asking, I turned this popular recipe into a Chewy Gluten-Free Cookie Cake!

How to Make this Homemade Cookie Cake Recipe:

Step 1: Crush Half the Chocolate Chips

Place ½ cup of the chocolate chips on a cutting board and use a large knife to chop into small pieces (set the other ½ cup of unchopped chocolate chips aside).

The goal here is to have a mixture of tiny chocolate flakes throughout the dough, while still have the whole chunks in there for texture. Once chopped, set aside.

Step 2: Melt Butter & Add Ingredients

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter for 20-30 seconds until JUST melted (you don't want it piping hot).

Transfer butter to a larger mixing bowl and add in white sugar and brown sugar. Use a spatula (don't use a mixer!) to stir by hand until combined. Mix in egg. Next, add in baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix again.

Add flour and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. Lastly, add the ½ cup of chopped chocolate chips and ½ cup of whole chocolate into the dough and mix.

Step 3: Press Dough Into Pan

Grease a 11.5" metal cookie cake pan (don't have one? See tip below). Although this cookie removes cleanly, if you are worried about it sticking, line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper first.

Using a spoon or your clean hands, drop the dough into small chunks in the pan. This will help disperse everything so that you can easily smooth it out.

Once all dough as been added, use a spatula or your hands to press down the dough into a smooth layer (being sure to get all the corners). This method is my best tip to make a cookie cake evenly.

Tip: If you notice 2-3 chocolate chips are stuck together, separate them before baking. This will allow the chocolate to be evenly dispersed and prevent the cookie from having a giant clump of chocolate in one spot (which could cause it to more easily break while cutting).

Don't have a round 11.5" pan?

1. You can bake in a 9x13 metal pan (they'll be a little thinner so watch the oven around the 12 minute mark). You can use the baking time in my Chewy M&M Cookie Bars as a guide.
2. Create a DIY cookie cake pan using a large mixing bowl (that is about 11.5" in diameter) with aluminum foil (scroll to FAQ section for instructions). Because you don't have as much heat from a real metal pan, these typically take an extra 4-6 minutes to bake.

Step 4: Bake

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes - do NOT overbake or your chocolate chip cookie cake will not be soft.

How do you know when cookie cake is done? The top should be slightly brown (see below) and the center baked through. The cookie may still look slightly underbaked but this is the trick to a soft, chewy cookie. If you overbake it and it gets too brown, you will have a crunchy cookie cake. Allow the cookie cake to cool completely before removing.

To remove from pan: use a knife to go around the edges, place a flat platter on top, then flip over the pan to remove. If you used parchment paper, this should come out rather smoothly. After flipping over the cookie cake, flip it over again on the final decorate plate or platter (I LOVE these cute paper serving platters and the largest one in the pack is perfect for a 11.5" cookie cake).

Step 5: Pipe or Spread Frosting

Use the instructions in the recipe card below to make my homemade vanilla buttercream (it tastes like ice cream!) or you could also use canned frosting.

Using a large star piping tip, pipe around the edges then immediately add sprinkles (the frosting will start hardening quick, so add sprinkles right away!).

If you're feeling fancy, pipe phrases like "Happy Birthday" on the top with frosting (although this can be risky unless you're a skilled frosting writer!), pipe a large number using my number stencils in my Giant Birthday Cookie Cake post, OR use this fool-proof letterboard cake topper kit (these are made from plastic so you can wash and reuse for years!).

Step 6: Slice & Enjoy!

Use a sharp, large knife to cut. Depending on how many you're needing to feed, cut the cookie cake in normal triangles or in smaller squares.

Frosting/Freezing Notes :

Frosting Note: This homemade buttercream will start developing a crust, which makes it a great frosting to make a day ahead. Because of the sugar content, you don't need to refrigerate the frosted cookie cake if you plan to enjoy it within 1 day. If you are making ahead earlier, I'd suggest waiting to frost until day of OR gently wrap the frosted cookie after the frosting sets and place in the fridge.

Storing/Freezing/Make Ahead Tip: I don't typically like refrigerating freezing chocolate chip cookies because I feel like they get dry and not as chewy in the freezer. If you do need to make this in advance, you could wrap the baked, unfrosted cookie in plastic wrap and when you're ready to eat it, let it thaw to room temperature then frost.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What if I don't have a cookie cake pan?

Don't have a round 11.5" cookie cake pan? You can bake in a 9x13 metal pan (they will just be a little thinner, so you may need to bake a couple minutes less) OR create a DIY cookie cake pan using the instructions below. Super easy to do!

1. Take about 2.5 feet of aluminum foil and fold it a few times to create a long skinny strip. Wrap that strip around the top of a large mixing bowl (that is about 11.5" in diameter) to use as your guide.
2. Remove it from the bowl then take a smaller strip to secure the two ends closed, completing the circle.
3. Place the foil ring on a parchment-lined baking sheet then press dough into the middle, trying not to let any slip below the bottom ridge of the foil (it should all be contained within).
4. Bake. Because you don't have as much heat from a real metal pan, these typically take an extra 4-6 minutes to bake through. Immediately after baking, carefully remove foil ring then use a butter knife to push in any rough edges. You're not going have as clean of edges as you would with a real pan, but the foil ring definitely helps create a wall rather than having the cookie spread onto the pan.

Do you keep cookie cake in the fridge?

You can but you don't have to. If unfrosted, this cookie cake will be good covered/wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you use homemade frosting, I would refrigerate it if not eaten within a day (the sugar content in the frosting will help it not go bad as fast).

That said, I find that chilling cookie cakes will typically dry them out a bit so for the freshest flavor and texture, I wouldn't make this more than a day or two ahead of when you plan to eat.

Can I make this into a layered cookie cake?

You sure can! To do this, make two 11.5" cookie cakes, double the icing recipe, then spread half of the frosting between the two cookies and the remaining to pipe on top.

With a layered cookie cake being a little richer in flavor with the additional frosting, you can cut it into smaller squares or wedges.

Can I make this cookie cake gluten-free?

I've already done the work for you and turned this popular recipe into a Chewy Gluten-Free Cookie Cake!

Do I *have* to crush half the chocolate chips?

Crushing half the chocolate chips will give you a more evenly dispersion of chocolate AND help so that it cuts more cleanly. Sometimes the reason cookie cakes break while cutting is because there are two many clumps of chocolate chips. So I definitely recommend taking an extra minute to do this - it really helps the overall texture!

How to write on a cookie cake?

If you want to write on a message, you will likely need to thin down the frosting a bit with more milk (not much though, only a teaspoon or two!). But you want to know my life hack to this these days? Order one of these adorable letterboard cake topper kits (the letters are plastic!) that you can reuse for YEARS to come to write ANY message!

Can I double this cookie cake recipe?

You can, but you still want to make sure the dough is only ½" thick once spread in the pan (so you would need a larger pan than 11.5"). Note that thicker dough will require longer baking times and won't be as much like the traditional, chewy cookie cake recipe you may be used to.

How much does this cookie cake recipe cost to make?

A store-bought cookie cake will likely run you around $20 and if you're getting one from somewhere like Mrs. Fields or Great American Cookies, those can go upwards to $40. If you've already got the staples on hand (like sugar and eggs), then this homemade cake cake costs less than $6-8 to make!

Does this taste like the Great American cookie cake recipe or the cookie cakes you get at Walmart or Publix?

For years, I tried recreating the chewy texture of store-bought cookie cakes and while I wouldn't say this is an EXACT match, I would say that it's pretty dang close! I actually like this homemade cookie cake more than those (the frosting is so much better and doesn't have that fake taste), which are words that I didn't think I'd ever say.

What occasions can I make this homemade cookie cake recipe?

• Birthday Cookie Cake: Top with frosting, sprinkles, and add a Happy Birthday message on top!
• Valentine's Day Cookie Cake: Line a baking sheet with parchment then shape the dough into a large heart (or use a heart shaped pan!). Then pipe red or pink frosting along the edges and top with sprinkles.
• Easter Cookie Cake: Line a baking sheet with parchment then shape the dough into a large egg shape (or use a egg shaped pan!). Then spread frosting on the top and pipe on the squiggly lines and polka dots to make it look like an easter egg.

Here's what readers have to say about on Pinterest about this homemade cookie cake:

"Omg this was the easiest and best tasting cookie cake! My husband said I will never have to buy him great American cookie again, this tasted so much better!" - Jade

"This recipe is perfect! My family and friends all beg for me to make this!" - Allie

"This was a HUGE hit! Perfect mixture of crunchy edges/top, and soft chewy middle. Will never use another recipe for cookie cakes! Delicious!" - Kristen

Love this recipe? Explore my other cookie cake flavors:

• Sheet pan cookie cake
• Chewy funfetti cookie cake
• Red velvet cookie cake
• Chewy s’mores cookie cake
• Chewy M&M cookie cake
• Oreo cookie cake

 

Love this recipe? Try my other chocolate chip recipes below:

• Chewy M&M Cookie Bars
• Copycat Panera Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Two Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies