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 (with rainbow sprinkles) for my daughter-in-law’s birthday, and I also made your chocolate buttercream frosting recipe to decorate the cookie. It was a HUGE hit – my daughter-in-law, as well as my grandchildren, LOVED it!!
I baked this for my daughters 13th Birthday. I used a spring pan sprayed and dusted with flour, it came out beautiful. This is a great recipe Thank you for sharing.
Sincerely A.M Canada
Can i put frosting all over the cookie dough? Thank you
Definitely! You can use as much or as little frosting as you’d like.
Just made this for New Year’s Day dessert with ice cream right out of the oven! So good! It is hard to tell when ready, I used the toothpick test and it showed it was ready, but it looked really “doughy” to me. But I should have just taken it out then rather than the extra 5 minutes. It would have been chewier. But still, no complaints from my crew! Great, easy way to get your chocolate chip cookie fix without the bother of chilling the dough and scooping it out and baking several trays of cookies!
Can you add some cocoa powder to make it a chocolate chocolate chip cookie cake? I love this recipe, but I don’t want to ruin it by adding cocoa powder. If so, how much would I add to make it taste chocolate? Thanks so much!
Hi Laura! I recommend using my chocolate cookie dough recipe instead. You can use chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips. Same bake time.
Made this for my daughter’s birthday because she doesn’t like cake. I made exactly to recipe covering with foil 15 minutes into the cook and cooking 25 minutes in total. It did look slightly under done but when I check with a knife it was clean (aside from chocolate) so I pulled it. It was perfect, the only thing I would do different is add the foil at 10 minutes so the edges were less crunchy (just a preference). Other then that difference this recipe was perfect. Made on big thick chewy cakey cookie that not only was a huge hit with the kids ( my other two already want this as their birthday cake) but had mom’s asking for the recipe. I would highly recommend this recipe and will be using it again!!
Question! Can I make this with brown butter and if so, how much butter should I brown (I think I need to use a bit more?). I love love LOVE your brown butter chocolate chip cookies so I desperately need a brown butter chocolate chip cookie cake!!
Hi Anika, I’m so glad you love those cookies! You can actually use that cookie dough to make a cookie cake (follow the baking directions for this recipe) for a brown butter cookie cake 🙂
Hi Sheila, I recommend using my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza which I bake on a pizza pan. 🙂
I made this as dessert at thanksgiving since we don’t really do pies. But I noticed it was a lot of dough for my 9 inch cake pan, so i made a fairly thin layer of cookie dough in the pan & made the original “crust” parts, & whatever was left over I put into another pan & made more, like a whole 6×6 square cookie cake. Recipe definitely is bigger than a 9-inch, but man I tell you, it was delicious.
Triple the recipe and you’ll have enough for a 1/2 sheet cake! I bake at 350 for 35-40 mins. Pics on my instagram @blissfull_baker ❤️❤️
I make this for my sister’s birthday every year and it’s always a success!
Wondering how many cups of frosting you used for this recipe? Thanks!
For the cake pictured I didn’t use much at all – less than a cup since I just decorated around the outside edge.
I need to make this a day ahead, but would love to have it toasty warm to serve (so all those chocolate chips are nice and gooey). Can you reheat it in the oven for a few minutes or will that dry it out?
Covering with aluminum foil and reheating for a few minutes works and won’t dry out the cookie cake. Enjoy!
Making this now for my husband’s birthday! One thing I absolutely love about your blog is that I always feel confident bringing your recipes into my kitchen. I know they have been tested numerous times and your posts always provide the key notes and pointers that will lead me to success with the final product. Thanks for making all my family gatherings so sweet!
I’ve baked this cookie cake at least 10 times in the past year. I make it for birthdays and add sprinkles!!! It’s always so good!
Would this work in a 10 inch cake pan also, with the the understanding that it would be thinner and take a little less time to cook? Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, Yes you can try that! Enjoy!
You have so many good tips! So glad I came upon this recipe. My son always wants a chocolate chip cookie cake for his birthday that we get at the grocery store and it has been disappointing. I’ve even ordered them at mall cookie shops. He likes them soft and a little underdone and asked if they would cook it one minute less. They have to stick by their rules so can’t do it. I’m trying your recipe this year (just a few days away) and going to make it a double decker with the chocolate buttercream frosting in between. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you found this recipe for him! I hope he loves it and has a great birthday!
How long does it take to cool completely?
A couple hours at room temperature.
I made this yesterday for my son’s Lacrosse team end-of-year party. It’s the third time I’ve used this recipe; every time it’s a winner. I even converted it to gluten-free version for a football team event and had good results last year. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
Can I use chopped up Oreo’s in these? Will I need to change the recipe a bit?
Hi Christine! You can definitely add chopped Oreos to this cookie dough for the cookie cake. You can leave out the chocolate chips if you’d like OR do 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 chopped Oreos.
I’ve been making, and loving, this cake for 4 years now. It is a popular request for birthdays! I use a pizza stone covered in parchment paper, and I flatten the dough out like a giant cookie. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, cover with foil, and bake for 10-15 more. The chocolate buttercream with it is the bomb!
Came across this recipe and I think it will be perfect! My son doesn’t like cake cake.. so for his graduation party he wants a cookie cake.. the party is in July but I figured it wouldn’t hurt trying it out before hand..plus it will be a nice treat for the family tonight 🙂 I will be using a pizza stone that is 15 inches, I’m going to just double the recipe refrigerate for a bit..and.. fingers crossed!!!
Just made this to celebrate with my team! So good!
Just a note to say that this recipe is wonderful, and it’s definitely my go-to cookie cake when we want a chocolate-y treat! Thanks, Sally! What a great blog!! ~Regina
I made this last night. DE-licious! It’s so much better than the store bought stuff that tastes chemically. Perfect chewy-ness and I don’t feel quite as bad eating it for dessert, breakfast, etc. since it’s homemade. Thank you for creating a wonderful recipe!
I don’t have picture. Forgot to take one before I cut it up and put it in a container for safe keeping.
Hi Sally! If I want to make this on a larger scale but don’t have a pan over 9”, would it work for me to chill and roll into a circle and cook on a parchment lined sheet?
That should work, Anna!
I was so blown away by this recipe. So easy! So tasty! Your website has been such a blessing to me on my family’s special occasions. We live overseas and don’t have access to fancy bakeries or even special ingredients so I love that I can get everything I need to make your recipes here OR you provide the info I need to substitute. I’ve always preferred cookie cake to birthday cake and haven’t had it in years. I love that I can search for what I want to make on your site and 9/10 I can find it!
Sally… run into your recipe in a hurry! Had to bring some dessert to a dinner invitation….
Outstanding !!!!! Absolute winner! Everybody loved it , I omitted the frosting.and was a success, thank you for sharing it!
Winner! Great post. Thank you for an outstanding recipe. Scratching my head wondering why I haven’t tried a homemade version before now; guessing I’ve had a bit of an aversion because store-bought giant cookies taste, well, store-bought. This recipe stays true to the flavor
and spirit, but it’s genuineness and thoughtfulness shine through. Even “sophisticated” palates gravitate toward this. Baked mine in a 9″ heart-shaped pan for Valentine’s Day. The corn starch is a surprise ingredient that works.
Hey! I was wondering if I was chilling the dough should I let it come to room temp before baking?
You don’t need to let it come to room temperature first!
I look forward to giving this a try. It reminds me of a beloved treat my family would get in California called a Pazzooki. In stead of frosting you top the warm cookie with ice cream and all kinds of sundae toppings. My kids are going to be thrilled!