Indulgent chocolate chip cookie cake is soft in the center, chewy on the edges, studded with chocolate chips, and decorated with chocolate buttercream. This fun dessert comes together quickly—no cookie dough refrigeration or dough shaping needed. This is the perfect (and easy!) cake for cookie lovers.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Linda, commented: “Birthday cake? What’s that? This cookie cake is requested for every birthday in my family. I’m making one for my sister today. This has been my go-to recipe for years. And still today the tradition carries on. It’s the perfect cookie cake… the frosting is the perfect addition. Absolutely delicious. This recipe never fails me. ★★★★★”
Today’s chocolate chip cookie cake is adapted from 2 of my most popular cookie recipes loved by bakers around the world: soft chocolate chip cookies and chewy chocolate chip cookies. The result is soft-baked, chewy, chocolatey decadence.
I love baking “giant” cookies that serve only a couple people (looking at you, 1 giant monster cookie), and this cookie cake is no exception. It’s essentially one really big cookie that feeds a crowd!
You’ll love how quickly and easy this cookie cake comes together. We’ll bake the cookie dough in a pan, so no cookie dough chilling required (just like my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars). Garnished with chocolate buttercream and your favorite toppings, it’s a festive dessert recipe perfect for any celebration.
This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Is:
- Soft-baked and chewy, but sturdy enough to eat with a fork
- Quick to make —you don’t have to roll a bunch of individual cookies, and you don’t have to chill the dough
- Baked in a pie dish or cake pan—so it won’t overspread
- Great for small parties or gatherings (serves 8–10)
- Easy to slice and serve
- Topped with the creamiest chocolate buttercream
- Perfect for chocolate chip cookie lovers, and anyone who prefers cookies over cake! (We put together a collection of fun desserts beyond traditional birthday cake!)
Ingredients You Need & Why
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this cookie cake.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch creates an exceptionally soft and thick cookie cake. I add it to my soft chocolate chip cookies—and to this cake, too! This soft-baked cookie cake will melt in your mouth.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookie cake rise.
- Salt: Salt brings out all the flavors and balances the sweet.
- Butter: Use room-temperature butter (remember it’s cooler than you think). You can use this trick to soften butter quickly or take the butter out of the refrigerator about an hour before you begin.
- Brown Sugar: Skip the granulated sugar and use all brown sugar for an ultra soft and moist cookie cake.
- Eggs: Taking what I learned from my chewy chocolate chip cookies, I use 1 egg and 1 egg yolk for the chewiest cookie cake. The extra egg yolk also adds tenderness and richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor. Try homemade vanilla extract!
- Chocolate Chips: This cookie cake is studded with chocolate chips—1 and 1/2 cups (270g) total. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, try using dark, milk, or even white chocolate chips. Or swap half of the chocolate chips for M&Ms like we do in these soft M&M cookie bars.
How to Make It
This cookie cake dough comes together quickly with an electric mixer. Start by creaming the butter and brown sugar, then add the remaining wet ingredients.
Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add them to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Finally, add in the chocolate chips.
No Cookie Dough Chilling!
Because we’re baking the cookie dough in a cake pan or pie dish, we don’t have to chill the cookie dough or roll individual cookies. Simply make the cookie dough and spread/press it into your baking dish. It’s really that simple:
The cookie will never overspread because it’s contained in the dish—simple and easy!
By the way, you could absolutely make this cookie cake with the dough from these double chocolate chip cookies. Same bake time as below.
Toppings for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
While this cookie cake delicious on its own, chocolate buttercream and sprinkles are always a good idea… and turns this giant cookie into a true cake worthy of a celebration!
My favorite chocolate buttercream is far from basic; it’s incredibly creamy, silky, smooth, and rich. Even though it’s wonderfully creamy, it holds its shape beautifully. So it’s perfect for piping even the most intricate designs. I used a simple Wilton 1M tip for today’s cookie cake.
Have fun and get creative with your toppings: instead of chocolate buttercream, try peanut butter frosting, chocolate peanut butter frosting, vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, or ice cream.
This is the perfect recipe to make when you’re looking for something just as festive as a birthday cake but a little more exciting than chocolate chip cookies! You could also try my sprinkle-filled sugar cookie cake instead.
Yes! You can follow the same instructions on how to freeze cakes: cool completely, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the wrapping, then make the frosting fresh the day you plan to serve it.
Absolutely. You can replace some or all of the chocolate chips with M&Ms or mini M&Ms, or try peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, sprinkles… you get the idea!
You can double this recipe, but the layers will be quite thick. Instead, I recommend my chocolate chip cookie layer cake recipe. That recipe uses 6-inch cake pans, but see the recipe Notes if you’d like to use 9-inch pans.
More Favorite Chocolate Chip Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer Cake
- Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cake with Ganache Drip
- Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: one 9-inch cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
One of the best ways to eat a chocolate chip cookie: when it’s the size of a cake! Use this quick and easy homemade cookie dough and bake it in a cake pan or pie dish. No dough refrigeration required! Decorate with optional frosting and sprinkles, and then slice and serve.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (aka cornflour)*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: chocolate buttercream for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9-inch pie dish or 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds or until evenly dispersed.
- Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 22–26 minutes or until the cookie cake is lightly golden brown all over the surface (could be up to 30 minutes, depending on your oven). Use a toothpick to test for doneness; if it comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs, it’s done. You may want to cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cookie cake is still warm, you can press a few more chocolate chips into the surface of the cake. This is optional and only for looks!
- Once cooled, use a sharp knife or metal spatula to loosen the sides of the cookie cake from the pan and transfer to a serving dish. (Or serve directly from the pan.)
- Make the chocolate buttercream, if using.
- Decorate the cooled cookie cake with frosting. Depending how much frosting you use, you may have some leftover. I used a Wilton 1M tip.
- Cookie cake remains fresh covered tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Pie Dish or 9-inch Round Cake Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Tip
- Eggs: Make sure you don’t use 2 full eggs, which will result in a cakey texture—think more of a cake than a cookie. 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk is best. Room-temperature eggs incorporate evenly into your cookie dough, which guarantees a uniform texture in each bite of the cookie cake. Simply set out the eggs when you set out the butter to come to room temperature. If you forget to set out your eggs ahead of time, place them into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes, then use.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch (aka cornflour) helps thicken the cookie dough and promises a softer cookie cake. If you don’t have cornstarch, you can leave it out. No need to replace with anything.
- The chocolate buttercream topping is optional. You could also decorate with whipped cream or top with vanilla ice cream.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this recipe for a family birthday gathering we are having and I multiplied the recipe x4 and placed in a full sheet pan. It is just like the big cookie you order from the Great American Cookie Company, only BETTER because it is homemade!
I’ve used this recipe a couple of times now and its always a big hit with the family. I was hoping you could offer some wisdom on how I could possibly reduce how sweet the taste is.
I would like to make a cookie cake for my brother’s birthday (he hates cake for whatever crazy reason), but each time I have used this particular recipe to make one he says its a too sweet for his own liking.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I just got done making my 4th one of this recipe. It is delicious!! My husband is taking one to his coworkers on the railroad this week and they are going to love it!
I made this for my husband’s birthday and it is so delicious! I added walnuts per his request and used vanilla buttercream instead of chocolate and it was so good. I used a 9 inch pie pan and it was perfect. I will definitely be making this again for various occasions in the future! Thank you!
Made as instructed but with a 10″ pan so I thought it would bake a little quicker… but it ended up outrageously underbaked! And broke apart quite dramatically. I popped the pieces back in the oven to firm them up (delicious) and tried again and it worked beautifully – I turned down the temp a little part way through the baking and left it in longer. Looks perfect and the middle didn’t even sink!
Best cookie cake EVER! My son wanted a cookie cake from the mall for his birthday. Knowing how awesome your recipes are, I knew right where to look. This recipe Is A winner! It’s easy to make, basic ingredients, and DELIcious!!!
I don’t like mall cookies… they are way too expensive, and they have some “fake” taste to them. Yuk!
Thank you Sally for your awesomeness deliciousness!!.
I made this in a 9″ glass pie plate and it was so good. I made it Sunday evening, served it Monday afternoon, and it tasted even better on Tuesday. I did not refrigerate, just kept wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It was great. I baked it a little longer than 25 minutes — maybe it was 30-35 minutes, but put aluminum foil on for the last 10-15 minutes to make sure it wasn’t getting too brown. Sorry I didn’t pay attention to times. Thank you for the recipe!
The first time I made this it was a disaster. The second time I borrowed my grandmother’s pizza pan and it was success! I make this recipe for my daughter’s pre birthday party sharig it with a group of ladies from church. They were quite impressed. This is now my official go to cookie cake recipe!
Just finished making this for my son’s 5th birthday after he requested a cookie cake like one we saw in the mall. Can hardly wait to eat it tomorrow!! I definitely had to bake mine a bit longer, I baked it in a glass 9in pie pan it is so thick! Hopefully I got it now where the center isn’t too gooey. I decorated it using a similar recipe to the chocolate frosting on here just did a batch of vanilla buttercream and added cocoa powder to half of he icing and left the other plain. I did a fire truck on mine as well since my son loves fire fighters. Thank you for this recipe!!
My daughters and I made this for their acting cast party, it turned out amazing. We baked it on Wednesday (using an 8 inch cake pan, we ended up having to put it in for about 25 minutes), they decorated it on Thursday, the party was Friday. I was nervous letting it sit for 2.5 days, but it was still the perfect consistency when we cut into it. Thanks so much, we will be making this often!
Too thick for one cake pan, should have used two. Delish though
Your Choc Chunk Cookies are an absolute hit in my family, Sally!…..so was super excited about trying this…..however, the final product has sunk in the centre,….looked fine when I took it out but cracked and sank while cooling….tried two batches with the same result….please advise. Cheers
This worked brilliantly. I cooked it this morning with my daughter for my wife’s birthday. She couldn’t wait to eat it and had a slice for breakfast. Chewy, crunchy… delicious! Followed the recipe and instructions to the word and we now have a lovely treat. Thank you.
I’ve always wanted to make a chocolate chip cookie cake. My papaw always got one for everyones birthday and I’d love to try out a homemade one. This looks delicious and the icing is beautiful.
I made this on Valentine’s Day this year and it was my first time ever baking something like this. It was so quick and easy, and it tasted absolutely amazing! I will definitely be coming back to this recipe. Thanks, Sally <3
Made this yesterday for my roommate’s birthday. Very easy to follow recipe and used 4 small heart-shaped pans so we could each have our own mini cookie cake!! They turned out beautifully. I would definitely make this again!
This recipe is a huge hit! I’ve made this two separate years for my boyfriend’s birthday. This year (today) I made it in one of those novelty cake pans in the shape of a gingerbread person and used the frosting to make glasses, shoes, and a shirt.
So I made this last night for my husband’s birthday. Everyone LOVED it. I ended up using a 9 x 13 rimmed cookie sheet and it fit perfectly. Baked for about 20 mins. I used the frosting recipe, but omitted the cocoa powder, as my hubby is a big vanilla frosting fan. It was perfect, light and fluffy and not too terribly sweet. Thank you!!!
I was looking for the perfect cookie cake recipe and found this one in my search. After reading a TON of the reviews on here, I couldn’t find anyone who actually made this in a 12″ pizza pan and then said how it came out. That is what I was looking for so I just decided to go for it and see what happens. I followed the recipe perfectly and the dough was fairly sticky. I wanted to add more flour but I resisted the urge to do that. I spread the dough (which wasn’t easy because it was so sticky) to within a 1/2 inch of the edge of the pizza pan and then I baked it for 25 minutes. It turned out GREAT!!!! I am so glad I did NOT add more flour. It did come out just a tad darker than I would like because I didn’t think to shorten the baking time due to the bigger pan and thinner dough. Next time I will bake it for 20 minutes and it will be perfect. It was for an 11 year old’s birthday and those boys gobbled it up! So follow this recipe exactly as written and just shorten the baking time if your pan is bigger.
I made these two days ago and they were extremely sweet. Today is my bfs birthday and I made them again, but made sure to add the cornstarch and doubled the salt. I actually used kosher salt this time. I had to add 10 minutes baking time. I also made the frosting but used coconut oil in place of the butter. Yum!!
I would love to make this in a rectangle pan ( 11×15 sheet pan) what wld the alterations be?? Thanks!
I would make two batches of the cookie dough and press it all into the pan. Unsure of the exact bake time though.
I made this for my niece’s birthday party! Everyone loved it! They told me it was the best cookie they have ever had! I will be making this in the future! Thanks!
Just made this for my sons birthday since he doesn’t like cake. It was a hit!! He said he wants it for his next birthday too!
ive made this for two parties now and ive gotten so many compliments! so easy and so yummy!
Oh Sally! This recipe is gooooooood!! I was looking on Pinterest for a cookie cake recipe for our family gender reveal party – and wow! – I picked the right one! It tastes just like the cakes I’ve spent $$$ at the mall in the past. Now to think of the next event where I just “have” to make it again 😉
Sally,
I wanted to tell you what an inspiration you have been to me these last few years for a few reasons. First, I have been using this very recipe to make cookie cakes for students at my school when it is their birthday for the past two years. I have personal connections with these students and many of them tell me it is the only birthday cake they get, which is hard for me to imagine. I am proud to share this special day with them. I could not have done it without your awesome recipe. I also use the sugar cookie recipe, as well. I let the students choose.
The second reason you have inspired me is through your avid running habits. I always thought it would be awesome to be able to go out and run five miles then come home and bake treats. I had the baking part down but needed to work on my running. I can say now after months of hard work, I have been able to increase my runs to five and six miles. I recently ran an 8K for the fist time. I have other reasons why I run, but reading your blog gave me something to shoot for as a goal. Thank you, Sally. I wish you the best with your endeavors.
Wow! This recipe is fantastic! I made it to celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie day. Soft and gooey cookie with a creamy chocolate frosting. Amazing! Sally, I have loved all of your recipes that I’ve made! Your blog is my go-to for recipes. Thanks so much for sharing.
This looks delicious! If I want to make it in a 9×13 pan, should I double the recipe? Also, how long should I cook it (knowing that ovens vary). Thanks for posting this!
I would double it, yes. I’m unsure of the exact bake time; it will be a little longer. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. If it comes out clean, it’s done!
This was by far the absolute BEST cookie cake I have ever tasted….the description of how the cookie cake would turn out was right on target! Made it for my son’s 17th bday. Everyone loved it!!!! Will definitely make again. Muchas gracious mi amiga!