How to Make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

jujucookiecake

For my daughters birthday I wanted to have something in addition to birthday cake and I thought of the large cookie cakes you can purchase at Mrs. Fields bakeries.  It is actually very simple – just cover a pizza pan with parchment paper and spread a layer of your favorite cookie dough about one half inch thick on the pizza pan.  Preheat the oven to 325 and bake, 20-25 minutes or until the edges are a nice golden brown.  After cooling, decorate with buttercream icing.  So simple and such a great alternative to traditional birthday cake.

For complete recipe keep reading

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for a Cookie Cake

  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, plus one egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour*
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 oz or about 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips**

Line a pizza pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.  Preheat the oven to 325.  I use one large 14 inch pizza pan and save the extra dough for cookies.  You can also make two smaller cookie cakes out of this.  I have baked this same recipe in a 9 inch round cake pan with excellent results.  I usually double the entire recipe because I feel you can never go wrong with extra cookie dough.

Cream butter (or margarine) and sugar together. Add sugars, egg, yolk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients one cup at a time.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the dough in the prepared pan, press the dough into a circle about two inches smaller than the pan.  Chill for at least 15-30 minutes in the freezer to prevent spreading in the oven.  This step is totally optional.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes…the middle should look dry, not greasy when it’s done and the edges just a hint of golden brown.. Let it cool in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift it out. If it seems soft, leave it in the pan until it’s completely cool.  If you are worried about the cookie spreading and making a mess in the oven, cover the bottom of the pan with foil, and allow it to extend a few inches past the edge of the pizza pan.  I didn’t do this and had a big mess to clean up!

*for high altitudes add an additional 1/4 cup flour – this is how I make these cookie cakes in Salt Lake City, Utah

**use whatever chocolate chips you prefer – semi-sweet, milk chocolate and dark chocolate all taste great.

Decorate as desired.  Use my favorite buttercream recipe found here,

Here is a simple frosting recipe that is more similar to grocery store bakery frosting:

Buttercream Icing for Decorating

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup crisco
2 tsp clear vanilla
1 tablespoon meringue powder
4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
2 tablespoons milk
Pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients well, adding more milk if the icing is too dry. Meringue powder is used to give stability to the icing but is an optional ingredient.  If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar.  If it is too thick, more milk.  Color with food dye and decorate using icing bags.  An easy alternative is to buy the ready to go icing from the grocery store.  It is just details so that is a great way to same time.