Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe

on May 17, 2024

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This delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake takes everything we adore about the iconic cookies and creates the best cookie cake recipe! Simple to make, it has a soft inside and a chewy, golden crust and is decorated with vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting! It’s such an easy dessert for birthdays and celebrations of all kinds!

Overhead picture of chocolate chip cookie cake, edged in buttercream frosting.

Cookie cakes are such simple yet indulgent and happy desserts! And when you make it a chocolate chip cookie cake, it’s a winner from the start! Basically, America’s favorite cookie in a giant size, decorated with a rich buttercream frosting. It’s party-ready in minutes!

This recipe comes together quickly and easily and is always a hit. It is even a bit quicker than making a batch of cookies since there’s no need to chill the dough or roll it into cookie balls to bake. It is great to serve anytime – but especially for kids’ parties, graduations, casual cookouts, showers, birthdays, and more.

Almost every time I ask my son what type of cookies he would like me to bake, he says, “Chocolate Chip, please,” or “You know I love your cookie cakes too, Mama.” I love them too—both of them, so I’m always happy to bake either.

This chocolate chip cookie cake recipe comes together easily with a hand or stand mixer and can be made ahead. It is delicious plain or decorated with vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting. You can even add a few sprinkles if you wish.

Overhead picture of slice of cookie cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkled with flake salt on a white dessert plate with fork.

Here’s how you’ll make it.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Flour

All-purpose flour is used as the foundation of this recipe.

If you need to make the recipe gluten-free, I recommend using the Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Flour blend. It will slightly change the finished texture of the baked cookie cake, but it is a good option.

Cornstarch

It’s used to “soften” the flour. I also use it in my chocolate chip cookie recipe. It helps create a soft, light cookie that melts in your mouth!

Salt

I use kosher salt in this recipe, specifically the Diamond Crystal brand, which has less sodium than others. If you choose to use regular table salt, fine sea salt, or another brand of kosher salt, I recommend using half the amount indicated in this recipe. This is optional, but I sometimes add a pinch of flaky sea salt to the top of the baked cookie cake while it’s still warm.

Baking Soda

It’s used as a leavening agent to help the cookie cake rise. Be sure to use fresh baking soda.

Butter

Use softened room-temperature butter, as it mixes into the dough much better. See How to Soften Butter for tips if you’re in a pinch for time. You can use salted or unsalted butter, whichever you have on hand. I tend to keep salted butter on hand as I like to bake with it. If you use unsalted butter, you may want to add the optional salt flakes on top as it will help the flavor so much.

Sugar

I use both brown sugar and granulated sugar. Both serve a purpose in making the cookie dough extra delicious. Brown sugar contains molasses, which adds an extra depth of rich flavor and softness to the dough. Granulated sugar helps give the dough a tender structure and a crisp, golden outside. Through years of recipe testing and baking, I’ve found that the combination achieves the best chocolate chip cookie dough.

Eggs

You use standard large eggs that you want to allow to reach room temperature. Room-temperature eggs will cream together more easily and produce fluffier baked goods. Cold eggs from the refrigerator will still work in this recipe but will not cream together as easily.

Vanilla Extract

A good-quality vanilla extract makes all the difference in the taste of baked goods. I prefer to make my own homemade vanilla extract. If you choose to use vanilla from the store, be sure to get a high-quality, pure vanilla extract, and do not use imitation vanilla.

Chocolate Chips

You can use your preferred type of chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate) or a combination of them. I like to use a mixture of dark and semi-sweet chips in this recipe and in my chocolate chip cookies.

Buttercream Frosting

You can serve the cookie cake plain or decorated with frosting. Choose your favorite: Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream. Ingredients and instructions for both frostings are included in this recipe card. Garnish the frosting with sprinkles if you wish.

You can enjoy the cookie cake plain, but decorating it makes it such a festive and fun dessert!

While buttercream frosting has a great consistency to pipe onto the cake for decorating – you can top it with other frostings instead if you like. Salted caramel sauce, chocolate ganache, or whipped cream are delicious options!
Pipe the frosting to make a border or design. I used a Wilton 1M star tip here. But you can also use a ziptop bag with a small hole cut into the corner.
Add sprinkles, chocolate candies, mini chocolate chips, or other favorite decorations to the piped frosting if you wish.
Top with scoops of your favorite ice cream!

Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cornstarch, and baking soda. Set aside.

Sugars and softened butter in mixing bowl ready to cream together.

Wet ingredients for chocolate chip cookie cake are creamed and blended together.

Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined, about 1 minute.

Dry ingredients are combined with the blended wet ingredients for chocolate chip cookie cake.

Dry ingredients are blended into the wet ingredients for chocolate chip cookie cake batter.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the whisked dry ingredients into the blended wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Chocolate chips blended into cookie cake dough in glass bowl with wooded spoon.

Add chocolate chips. Mix in chocolate chips gently until just combined.

Cookie cake dough is pressed into cake pan. Chocolate chips are sprinkled on top of dough.

Golden brown baked chocolate chip cookie dough cake.

Press dough into pan and bake. Add the blended cookie cake dough to the prepared cake pan and press down evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the dough and bake until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Closeup of chocolate chip cookie cake edged with vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkled with flake salt.

Make Frosting and Decorate. Carefully transfer the cooled cookie cake to a cake plate or cake stand. Make the frosting per the recipe and pipe it onto the cake as instructed to decorate it. Add sprinkles or more chocolate chips if desired.

Slice of chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Bite of cake is on a fork. Mug sits beside plate.

Slice of chocolate chip cookie cake, piped with buttercream frosting, served on a plate with a dessert fork. A cup of cocoa sits alongside the plate.

Slice and Serve. Cut the cookie cake into slices or squares and serve.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

Make Ahead: Prepare the cookie cake and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Leftovers: Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or store under a cake dome for up to 3 days.

If you tried this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Enjoy!
Robyn xo