Cookie Cake Recipe

It's a difficult concept to grasp, but truth be told, not everybody loves a traditional cake. It may be the texture or the sweetness from the frosting that throws non-cake lovers off, but either way, it's just a treat that's not at the top of the list.

Luckily, there are plenty of sweet alternatives that can be turned into a cake. And while donuts or Rice Crispies treats are certainly great choices, the concept of a cookie cake is becoming more and more popular for so many.

Putting together this simple cookie cake is basically like baking a giant cookie. It has the most perfect slightly crunchy exterior paired with a deliciously soft and chewy interior. Plus, it's the ideal canvas to dress up with buttercream frosting, colorful candies, and extra sprinkles to serve as a festive dessert for any occasion. Whether you're looking for an alternative to a typical cake or you simply have an insatiable cookie craving, this cookie cake recipe is just what you need to curb that sweet tooth.

To put together this cookie cake recipe at home, start by making sure you have all of the ingredients you will need on hand. To make the cookie dough for this cookie cake recipe, you'll need two sticks softened unsalted butter, one cup white sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, two eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 3 ½ cups flour, one teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.

In addition to the ingredients for the cookie dough, you may want to add colorful and flavorful mix-ins to your dough. For this recipe, you'll need ½ cup mini chocolate chips, along with your favorite sprinkles to serve as the ideal mix-ins for this cookie cake.

To top and decorate your cookie cake with buttercream frosting, you'll also need an additional stick of softened unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 6 cups powdered sugar.

For this cookie cake recipe, we chose to embrace the classic look and flavor of a chocolate chip cookie, but we added a colorful twist. Pairing bright and colorful sprinkles with mini chocolate chips made for a fun, decorative cookie cake for any other occasion. However, you could certainly mix up the flavors or add-ins for your own cookie cake.

Baking this cookie cake for someone who loves chocolate? Incorporate full-sized chocolate chips, along with diced-up candy bars such as Snickers or Twix. M&M's would be a great addition as well.

If you're not a chocolate fan, the chocolate chips can definitely be omitted. Including more sprinkles, paired with the vanilla extract mixed into the dough, will make more of a funfetti-themed cookie cake. This dough is easily adaptable to incorporate other mix-ins to make the ideal cookie cake for anyone or any occasion you may be baking it for.

To start making this cookie cake recipe, first, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This way, the oven will be ready and at the proper temperature when you're ready to put your cookie cake in.  

Once all of your ingredients are gathered for this recipe, it's time to begin mixing the dough. First, start by adding the dry ingredients into a separate, large bowl. Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk all of the dry ingredients together until well incorporated. Then, add in the mini chocolate chips and sprinkles, and whisk until combined.

Once all dry ingredients are fully incorporated, set the bowl aside while you cream the butter and sugars. Mixing the dry ingredients separately will allow the butter and sugars to cream together fully while allowing the dry items to be properly mixed together as well.

To make the dough for this cookie cake recipe, start by prepping a stand mixer with a bowl and the paddle attachment. If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer is a great alternative. With a bit more elbow grease, this dough could be mixed with a wooden spoon if using a mixer isn't an option.

Start by creaming the butter and the sugar. Add the softened butter into the mixer, and turn it on medium speed to begin breaking up the butter. Add in the white sugar and brown sugar, and continue mixing until well-creamed. Then, with the mixer running, add in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract, and mix until combined.

Gradually pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture while the mixer is still running. Continue mixing until a soft dough forms.

Once the dough has formed for this cookie cake recipe, it should still be soft to the touch but not sticky or gooey. It should still be the same consistency as thick cookie dough.

Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan for the cookie cake. A 9-inch round cake pan or two 6-inch round cake pans would work for this recipe as well. Use the wrappers from the butter to grease the pan by rubbing them along the bottom and sides of the pan. Alternatively, you spray the pan generously with cooking spray to prevent the cookie cake from sticking.

Pack the dough into the cake pan, pressing down to fully fill the pan. Leave a bit of room at the top. Once your cookie cake is prepped, put it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is lightly golden. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to set on top of the oven for ten minutes before moving it to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

If you want to decorate this cookie cake for any occasion, adding buttercream frosting is a great choice. Certainly, you could opt to buy a container of store-bought frosting for this task as well. But, if you're up for making your own buttercream frosting at home, it will come together in just a few minutes.

Start by fitting a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add in one stick softened unsalted butter, and turn the mixer on to medium to break up the butter. Add in one cup powdered sugar along with two tablespoons milk and one teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Continue mixing on medium speed.

Finish the buttercream frosting by adding in the remaining powdered sugar, and continue mixing until it's fully combined. Once all of the powdered sugar is mixed in, turn the speed up on the mixer to whip the buttercream frosting so it will be light and fluffy. Use the buttercream frosting to decorate your cookie cake as desired.