Sheet Pan Cookie Cake Recipe: This classic chocolate chip cookie cake is the ultimate birthday cake!
Ain’t no party like a cookie cake party!
Raise your hand if you do a little happy dance anytime a cookie cake appears at a birthday party.
Just me? Man I love them!
The original cookie cake recipe on this blog is our personal go-to for pretty much every holiday ever but at 9 inches, it’s not quite enough to feed a hungry mob. When a sweet reader asked for tips on making it in sheet pan for a birthday party I jumped at the opportunity to create the most epic sheet pan cookie cake!
Holy COW it was glorious!
I tripled the recipe to fit a 11.38 x 16.5 (or 11 x 17 if we’re rounding) rimmed baking sheet (this one’s my favorite) and whipped up the most decadent chocolate peanut butter frosting to ice the cake. Add a little rainbow sprinkle action for good measure and we’re ready to party!
Sheet Pan Cookie Cake Recipe
This classic chocolate chip cookie cake is a total game changer in sheet pan form!
One baking sheet yields about 4 dozen squares (40-50) and may be sliced smaller or larger to yield more or less serving as desired. Snag a teeny slice to satisfy your sweet tooth, or faceplant into a square the size of your face — I won’t tell!
Mainly because you KNOW I’m eating a face-sized serving myself! Shhhh!
:: in a rush? pin it for later ::
Sheet Pan Cookie Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 + ¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened (2 + 1/4 cups butter)
- 2 + ¼ cups light brown sugar (450 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 3 large eggs (bring to room temperature)
- 2 TBSP pure vanilla extract
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (720 grams)
- 2 TBSP cornstarch
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1 + ½ tsp salt
- 2 + ½ cups dark chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
- 8 TBSP 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 + ⅓ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 TBSP half and half (milk works too + extra if needed)
- ½-¾ cup peanut butter to taste
Instructions
- Measure out all ingredients. Allow butter to soften on the counter and allow eggs to reach room temperature.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together softened butter and sugar. Start at the lowest speed and increase as needed.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and continue to beat with the mixer to incorporate.
- In a seperate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
- Add flour mixture to the larger bowl slowly while you continue to beat on low.
- Once your dough is mixed, fold in chocolate chips.
- Press your dough (on the parchment paper lined baking pan) into an even layer and bake on the center rack for 14-16 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees at the halfway mark for even browning/cooking.
- Once your cookie cake has finished baking, flip your oven to broil on HIGH and watch it like a hawk. After about a minute the top will brown to golden perfection, still leaving that soft slightly cookie dough-esque center intact. For me this takes a minute or so.
- Place sheet pan on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool.
- Once your cake has cooled, use a piping bag and decorator nozzle or a trusty ziploc with the corner cut off to fancify your cake. I use Wilton’s Dessert Decorator Plus to decorate mine.
- To make the frosting: add softened butter to a mixing bowl and whip until creamy. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until creamy. Slowly add in half and half and vanilla while you continue to be a the frosting. Lastly, whip in the peanut butter, to taste. If desired, you may adjust any ingredients to your liking to control the texture/sweetness/etc… This ratio is my favorite!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this sheet pan cookie cake recipe for your next birthday party or celebration let me know!
You can leave me a comment here (love checking those daily!) or tag @peasandcrayons #peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
I love th recipe so much! Great for taking to church lunches/dinners 🙂
This recipe came out perfect! I used a classic half sheet pan with parchment on the bottom. I made vanilla buttercream to decorate as that’s what my nephew requested. Only downside was I could not slip the parchment out to put on serving tray. I trimmed it and left it on. No huge deal as the cookie was served easily without it sticking. Will definitely make again!
So happy to hear the cookie cake was a hit – thanks Jill!
I’ve for sure taken the easy way out and just trimmed my parchment and served it as is! For the parchment removal, if your sheet pan is super deep and you’re having issues with the removal of the cake, next time you can cut some overhang into the parchment so you can get a good grip on it to slide it and the cookie cake out, then slide out the parchment from underneath the cake. Another option is, once the cake has fully cooled (since it’s so big I’ll give it 90 min to 2 hours in this case) you can top the sheet pan with a large cutting board, hold securely and flip it over, take off the sheet pan and then peel off the parchment, then flip it onto your serving tray in the same manner so it’s right side up. Hoping these methods help!
Going to make this soon, glad you made a big batch recipe as i have made the 9 inch round and yep, not right for large crowds… question? ….why put the parchment paper down, you never say what it is for, why, or speak of it again?
Hi Jan! The parchment paper liner on the sheet pan is to prevent sticking and also helps easily remove the cake from the pan for those who want to put it on a serving board and not serve it in the pan. Hope this helps! xo
Hello! I have not yet attempted this but I am making it today for a large family birthday party tomorrow. This recipe calls for quite a bit more butter than other recipes and after reading the comments below I saw some confusion on what size pan to use. I am making the larger recipe that you have listed with 4.5 sticks of butter. I am planning to use a 17×11 pan. Someone below said it was oozing butter. I will not be able to try this before the party/before serving. Any tips at all on how long to cook to ensure it is done? Also is this pan okay to use? Do I need to alter recipe or butter? Thanks in advance for any and all help!
Emailing you real quick! I made 3 this week (of the smaller ones for gifting and decorating practice) so I’m happy to help!
Hey Dana! I never heard back so I’ll try my best to answer ya here. This recipe has been my tried and true for over a decade and I don’t have any issues with the butter. It’s possible that if you use a lot of butter to grease the pan it could be an issue. Parchment paper is my go-to to prevent sticking. Also severely undertaking could be an issue as well as a reader not measuring the dry ingredients correclty.
As written I always have great results. To make things quick and easy I just use a little kitchen scale and measure the flour and sugar that way. 17×11 will work great.
I often make my dough the night before when prepping for a party just to make life easier. Pop the lid on your dough in the stand mixer and store in the fridge overnight. Give it about 60-90 min on the counter to soften then break off chunks and arrange it on the parchment-lined sheet pan then press it all together in an even layer. Hope this helps! xo
I love this cookie cake and have made it many times! But I can’t figure out how to get the cake out of the pan for pretty serving. Any tips? Maybe a big springform?
Hi Kristen! You can 100% use a big springform. I use an 11-inch springform pan here: M&M Cookie Cake but for my pizza pan cookie cake (recipe) and for this sheet pan cookie cake here are a few helpful tips that work for me:
1. line with parchment paper and add a bit extra that comes up past the edges so you can grab onto it later for transfer.
2. allow the cookie cake to 100% cool before transfer/serving (1 hour minimum but it’s even better if you just leave it to cool for 2 hours)
3. place next to the serving dish or wooden board you would like to transfer it to, grab the parchment paper and gently angle the cookie cake pan so the cake and parchment slides onto the serving plate/board. lifting can cause it to crack during transfer so sliding it works best with a big cake like this. once you have transferred it you can slide out the parchment and you’re good to go! LMK if you need any additional help – cookie cakes are my favorite to make! xoxo
Thank you so much!
Happy to help!
Cake is cooking now & smells amazing!
Anyone else confused by the amount of butter for the frosting? It says 1 stick 8 tbsp. When I made the frosting it was dry & crumbly. I took it as being 1 stick (8 tbsp). Is it supposed to be 1 stick plus 8 tbsp? If so, why not say 2 sticks?
I had to keep adding butter til mine started to look like frosting.
Hi Marcia! The chocolate peanut butter frosting will just use one stick of butter. Depending on how dry your peanut butter is, you may want to use a little extra half and half (or milk or heavy cream). When using a hand-mixer versus a stand mixer, the frosting forms little crumbles first before it fully comes together. Having the butter nice and softened first is also helpful. Happy to help troubleshoot just let me know! xoxo
Hi! If I wanted to make a GF version for friend what would u suggest as a flour sub? Love this recipe!!
Hi Lee! You could start experimenting with the bob’s red mill brand cup-for-cup GF flour. I’ve had good luck using that flour in brownies and muffins so maybe it would work great for the cookie cake too? I would test it out with the small cookie cake first (Homemade Cookie Cake) and then take it from there. Let me know how it goes!
I made this recipe today and it came out over an inch thick. Not sure what happened.
Hi Tiffanie! It sounds like your pan was smaller than needed. Do you have the dimensions of what you used? My friend used a smaller pan a few weeks back and it turned the cookie cake into thicker cookie bars and threw the cook time off a little.
If I use self rising flower do I omit the cornstarch or just the baking soda and salt? Thanks making this tomorrow! Will let you know.
Hey Mindy! I’ve never baked with self rising flour so let me know if it works out? We don’t want too much rise here because it’s supposed to resemble the cookie cake slices at the mall.
I’ve made this probably 100 times! Everyone is always asking for the recipe, absolutely love it!
DAY = MADE! So so happy to hear it!
Easy recipe, great flavor, and large enough to feed a crowd. I can’t ask for more!
I’ve made different cookie cake recipes, but this is THE BEST!!! I never review recipes, but after making this for my daughter’s team, I had to say THANK YIU!!
Thank you so much Kimberly! So so glad you’re loving the recipe!
I’m a little confused. I’m looking for a recipe to make my son’s birthday cake but I’m seeing other recipes that use a 13×18 that are literally half of this recipe. I’m wondering are those just super thin? Is this more of a thicker cookie cake? I’m planning on making a 2 layer cake so I’m not sure if I should use this recipe. Any thoughts?
Hi Stacey! I can’t speak for the other cookie cakes but this one is the thickness you see in the square slice photos. You can absolutely use a 13×18 for a thinner cookie cake (I’ve done this before and it works great in both sized pans) then just simply check for doneness a few minutes early. I like to pull mine when it’s still slightly soft in the middle so that when it cools fully it is chewy (not dry and crispy) like the mall cookie cakes. I make several a year (either sheet pan or my circle cookie cake recipe here) and they’re always a hit! Let me know if any other questions pop up. Happy baking!
Is there a way to use this size recipe with a round pan? If so, what size round pan would I need?
Hey Amanda! Absolutely! Check out my original cookie cake recipe for all the deets on making a round cookie cake. My fav size lately is to use an 11-inch springform pan and it also works with 9-inch and 10-inch round springform pans. You can use non-springform as well (round cake pans) but you want to line it with parchment paper and create a little parchment “sling” to help you hoist the cookie cake out once it’s cooled. Hope this helps! xoxo
The cookie recipe was amazing! For some reason mine came out dry and crumbly and I followed the recipe to a T and was careful with measuring. I’m not sure what happened. The taste was great, it baked great and it looks even better.
Hi Kristy! I’m glad it was still amazing! Happy to help troubleshoot if you’d like. Usually a cookie coming out dry and crumbly is the result of too much flour in the dough. How do you typically measure out your flours? Spooning fluffed flour into the cups is usually the best way to get an accurate measure without a scale, with a scale being the most accurate. I’ll update the post with weights to if that’s helpful. Overmixing the dough once the flour is added can be another culprit. When too much gluten forms it can make cookies (and cookie cakes) dry and crumbly. The bake time is also pretty key here, as cookie cakes are under-baked a bit and then fully cooled before slicing. This ensures that perfect chewy texture. Hope this helps and keep me posted! xoxo
Awesome!!! Thank you!! I’m going to try it!
When I use a lot of butter like this I feel like my cookies taste like butter and feel greasy. How can I make it not feel greasy and taste like a butter cookie?
Hi Katie! When baking it’s a science and balance of not only ingredients/measurements but technique. You’ll want to make sure you’re working with room temperature softened butter (skip melting in the microwave when it comes to these type of cookie recipes) and to give the butter a good amount of time to cream into the sugars and fully incorporate. It gets almost fluffy and lightened in color. There are some awesome youtube tutorials on this that will give you a full visual if that is more helpful. I used to spend a good amount of time doing this with a hand mixer (ouch!) but found getting a stand mixer was a game changer for my cookie/cake/brownie recipes. Another thing that can help when you’re making cookies or cookie cakes is to chill the dough. This not only sets the ingredients but it helps enhance the flavor too. Also this is a large-scale recipe so the butter amount seems massive. It’s basically my standard cookie cake recipe times 3 so it fits in a large sheet pan and serves a crowd.
Jenn, I made the cookie cake but for test purposes I made the regular cookie cake (not the sheet pan). I did it in an 8.5 to 9 inch round pan. It seemed a little thick to me (about an inch) so I cooked it for 22ish minutes plus a minute of broiling on high. I am wondering if I cooked it a little too long. The cookie cake was good but it does seem just a little on the dry side. Any advice on what I might be able to do different so it won’t be dry. I was pleasantly surprised how well it did turn out though! Not greasy from the butter and was very pretty!!
Hey Katie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake and that it came out pretty – always a must! 23 minutes total does seem like it was too long. The only time it should ever be dry is if you forget you’re baking and forget to set a timer like I did one time last year and completely burn the cake LOL! For your 9-inch pan would dial it back to the 19 minute mark total (including any time broiling for the golden top) for sure. The cookie cake will seem a bit undercooked but that it “sets” as it cools and has this amazing chewy and soft cookie cake texture that I’m completely obsessed with! Hope this helps xoxo
Hello. I’m trying to buy a new stand mixer. Would a 5 quart be big enough for this recipe?
Hi Kelly! I use a 5 quart stand mixer so that should be perfect.
I am making my niece a cookie cake for her Sweet 16! I wanted to make this in a way smaller version just for her to sample the taste of the cookie. Is there a possible way to do this?
Hi Emily! Hope your niece has an amazing Sweet 16 party! You can find my smaller 9-inch cookie cake recipe here: Homemade Cookie Cake and I also have a Chocolate Peanut Butter version.
I’m a baker in Dallas, insta @MaryEatsTreats, and this is HANDS DOWN the best cookie cake recipe I have tried. I make custom cookie cakes for my friends as gifts or for parties, and the entire sheet is gone in minutes.
The cake cooks all the way through, the crusts aren’t dry, and the middle isn’t gooey. The light brown sugar makes certain of that. DBS might make it juuuust a little too caramelized for my taste / to be able to transport without it breaking or mushing.
I have yet to try the frosting though! I’m having a lot of trouble finding a good recipe that is tasty and has the proper consistency for piping call mom so it might be wise to just return to the source!
This recipe can be done with a handmixer, and that’s all I have ever done. But it is a work out! I’m currently setting out ingredients and I am super excited because I get to try my friends KitchenAid stand mixer. Is this what children feel like at the toy store?!
OH ALSO! I always use milk chocolate chips. It’s honestly what tips this recipe over the edge for me. Ugh! Five stars.
So I made the cookie and I baked it for 16 minutes and put the oven on broil for 1 minute. It looked baked when I took it out, but as it cooked it looked like the middle was still very doughy. Is the cookie cake supposed to be like this, or should I pop it back in the oven to bake it longer?
Hi Megan! Just signed in and saw this! I’m a sea level, so depending on factors like oven temperament and altitude sometimes if can need an extra few minutes in those cases. The main trick is to let it cool until it’s 100% cooled and set and it should be glorious. You’ll get that tender, chewy, cookie cake texture once it has completely cooled.
So I’m trying to understand 4 plus 1/2 sticks of butter is 5 sticks here in the USA or 4 cups and 1/4 of butter? I’m confused
Hi Liv! So in the United States (I live here as well) it will go as follows: 4 full sticks and 1/2 (aka half) of the 5th stick. Hoping this helps clarify! xoxo
I am planning to make this in a 13 x 9 in. glass sheet pan. Should I keep the recipe the same or change it up a little?
Hi Megan! Glass takes longer to heat up and stays hot for a longer period of time, so it alters cook times and would need to be tested to ensure you get the desirable soft + chewy cookie cake results. This recipe is also for a larger pan and would be very thick (much like a deep dish cookie pie). I would need to do some experimenting to advice on times and alterations unless you wanted to snag a metal baking sheet. I have made them in three different sized metal baking sheets before so I’m able to advise on changes for those if needed. Just LMK! xo
Hey! So I actually found a pan that is metal non-stick and it is about the same size as the one you used. It is 1 in. high, so do you know if the dough will be too thick for that or do I need a deeper pan for it to not spill out?
I found that it’s fine as long as you give your parchment paper plentyyyy of overhang.
LOVE THIS RECIPE. I have made it so many times we all love this cookie cake the best we ever had I’m about to make it again for my nice 16th birthday . Thank you for posting this amazing recipe it comes out delicious every time !
Hi, I noticed in the description you say the pan you use is basically 11×17, but the pan you linked says 13×18. I pushed the dough into an 11×17, but the dough is at the very top of the pan. Is that right? I don’t want it to bake over. Thank you!
Ohmygosh Jamie Lynn you’re right. I was measuring the interior when I measured mine but apparently they give two measurements (“Pan exterior dimensions 17.88 x 12.88 x 1.06 inches and interior dimensions 16.5 x 11.38 x 1 inches”) so technically it’s a 13×18 (or 17.88 x 12.88) for the “Bakers Half Sheet” that I always use for this. I’m legit facepalming right now. I guess I should be listing it as 13×18 in the recipe? Thoughts?
It’s worked really well for many readers so I’m wondering how much of us used one size verses the other meaning it’ll work in both. My guess would be that it’s a wee bit thicker in the smaller pan and would need a few extra min bake time. Now that I’m looking at my pans there are two I have used for this recipe and one is the half sheet from the link and one is an 11×17. So looks like I’ll need to make another cookie to compare and contrast bake times lol. Hope this helps and I’m here if ya need me! xoxo
Thank you so much for responding! I ended up just buying the one you linked, and my cookie cake is oozing butter. I have no idea what I did wrong. I have made the smaller round cake about 5 times, and it comes out perfectly each time. I ended up cooking the sheet pan one a good bit longer, and the consistency isn’t the same. Any thoughts why it’s so buttery? Thanks!
Oh no! Is there any chance you used a different type of butter than you normally do? I make the sheet pan cake 3-4x a year for special occasions and haven’t encountered this ever, so I’m not sure what the culprit could be unless the butter was off or the measurements were incorrect (but you’re used to measuring out the smaller cake so you’re a pro by now). After a nice long cool did the consistency change at all? I’ll try to help troubleshoot best I can!
So it was amazing by the next day! I did have to cook it a good bit longer, but it just hadn’t cooled enough I guess. Thanks for helping out!
Oooh yes cooling is super key here! Appreciate the update! The cookie needs to set and once it’s entirely cool you’ll get that scrumptious soft and chewy cookie cake texture. I look forward to the leftovers so much and always save a piece to scarf with my coffee the next morning. So glad you enjoyed it!
This was a great recipe. I am not a baker but this turned out perfectly. I made it for my sons football team and there was plenty to serve 26 players. Also there was enough frosting to do an edge as well as a solid football in the middle of the cake
I’m making this the night before the party. Do I store it in a box on the counter or in the fridge?
Hi Stephanie! When making the cake the night before, I store mine covered on the counter.
Can I make the icing the day before?
Hi Abby! You absolutely can and I do this frequently! I’ll usually keep it in a covered bowl in the fridge and then bring it back to room temp, give it one more quick beat or so with the hand mixer to fluff it up, then add it to the piping bag for icing the cookie cake. xoxo
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!! This is definitely going to be replacing our birthday cakes. It is the best cookie cake I have ever had, and was a huge hit! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!
Amazing
how big did you cut the squares to get 4 dozen
Hey Joe! I didn’t measure them (was rushing off to a neighborhood party) but I can try to next time we make the giant cake. We’re usually serving the neighborhood kids so I cut them small for them but when it’s just the grown ups we get hangry and serve larger squares. One time I even made extra frosting to put a little dollop on each square.
If I was going to do this in a quarter sheet pan, would I just half the recipe? So, 11.5 x 8? And what baking time would you approximate?
Looks delish!
Hi Allie, that should work but you may want to do 2/3 the recipe or double my original cookie cake recipe to make sure it’s not too thin? Since the thickness of the cookie cake will be a wee bit different I can’t give an exact bake time without testing it out. It should be fairly close to the times here so just keep an eye on it a few minutes early until the center has started to set and the edges are golden. I’ve made several different sizes over the years and it’s super adaptable! xoxo
I made this today minus the frosting because my fiancé doesn’t like frosting BUT wow! The best cookie cake I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Hi Sarah! Any tips if I were to change this to a brookie (brownie/cookie) cake? I have a special request from my daughter for her birthday and would prefer to make myself versus purchasing it. Thank you!
Hi Lauren! I’ve never experimented with brookies before (and now I totally want one!!!) but my friend over at The Baker Mama has a Brookie recipe that looks amazing!
Made this for my sons birthday in Oct. It was a big hit. No leftovers. Was delicious. I didnt do the icing butbplan on it next time
Hey! So glad to find your post with the giant sized version! Dealing with a nut allergy. What ratios/recipe would you use to just do chocolate frosting instead of pb chocolate? Thank you!
Hi Sarah! So glad you found the recipe! Here’s a good ole fashioned chocolate buttercream:
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (45g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream or milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for my 14 year old grabdson. Young men eat a lot so I knew we needed a big cookie. It turned out perfect? Better than ordering one.
I want to use this recipe to make a two layer cookie cake. Other than the broil part, do you think it would work to follow the instructions then put parchment paper atop the first layer and add a second layer? Or do I have to cook three layers separately?
I’ve done two layers on top of each other successfully with some stuff but not tried cookies.
Hey Amy! I think you’d lose the texture of each layer stacking them and cooking atop eachother, and it also may present some bake time and even baking issues. I’d for sure do separate layers here (whenever my baking friends do layered cookie cakes they do one layer per pan) to guarantee awesome results. The sheet pan here is pretty big, so if you need a smaller yet taller cake you could cut the rectangle in half after cooling and stack each half on top of each other with icing in between? Let me know what you end up doing!
Loved making this recipe! It was easy and the cake came together quickly. Wonderful! Oh! And it was a crowd pleaser. If you are traveling with this cake then be sure to get a box large enough for it as it is pretty big.
Yum.. Made for my son for his birthday. Delicious! I used semi sweet chips and it wasn’t too sweet, just perfect. Thank you
OMGeeeeee! I’ve made this sheet cookie cake three times now. The first two times, I made the sheet cake for birthdays…and we really didn’t need an entire sheet of cookie cake, but this is SO good, we welcomed all the leftovers. The third time, I followed the ingredient measurements for the sheet cake, but made two 12-inch rounds (I used a deep dish pizza pan). The amount of dough worked out perfectly! This is now my GO TO recipe for cookie cake. I think I am going to have to start making up things to celebrate so I can make more!
Hi Jenn! The recipe sounds super yummy. I plan to try it for my son’s birthday party. I noticed that in the recipe for the small size cookie cake (HOMEMADE COOKIE CAKE), you recommend chilling the dough. Can I keep this recipe in the fridge overnight too?
Yes absolutely, Vicky! Just let it come to room temperature before baking and you’re good to go! xoxo
Do you think I could make this on a large round pizza stone?
Hi Carol! Without a sided pan to keep it from spreading it might get a little out of control. I have only tested it in lipped/rimmed sheet pans and springform pans so far.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for the frosting? This looks and sounds so good!
Thanks Terri! I usually use unsalted and then just add the teeniest pinch of salt to amp the flavors up.
Could I use a 10×15 jelly roll pan? If so, how much less dough would I need to make? Thanks!
Hi Cindy! Since 10×15 isn’t crazy far off from the 11.38 x 16.5 I tested with this recipe, I’d personally just make the full amount and then freeze the small amount of leftover dough into balls so you have some bonus cookies for another day!
Great! Thanks
I made this ^ seriously wonderful- however it was slightly dare I say greasy on the bottom ? And since it’s a massive amount of butter I am thinking maybe I could have kept cooking it a little longer and maybe that had something to do with it ? It was visibly oily from the butter:( not quite as pretty as the photo – any suggestions? Maybe a larger pan ?? I think mine is a jelly roll 11×15 ish ?
Thinking about making again this weekend for a large gathering
Frosting = divine
They serve this in heaven
So stoked you enjoyed the cake and frosting Jessi! Going for the slightly doughy underbaked version (for the doughy center I swoon about in the post, lol) can def result in a bit more butter at the bottom of the pan so 100% feel free to bake a bit longer to fully set the cookie! Another main factor is that all our ovens are a bit different so some cook faster than others, so for sure adding a bit of extra time will have you good to go in this case!
Hey. I want to use this recipe for my son’s birthday party but I need to make it larger. My pan is 15×20. Can you give me the recipe?
Hi Jessica! To make it 15×20 you’ll need some extra cookie dough. Using the sheet pan recipe, add the measurements for this smaller cookie cake in addition to the sheet pan measurements. Let me know if that makes sense; the math should be pretty simple! You’ll need enough cookie dough to make up the empty pan space and that should be the perfect amount to add so the cake is the same thickness and not too thin. xo Jenn
Thank you so much! Yes that helps!
Happy to help! Ooh the bake time may change as well. Check on it at the 16 minute mark and if still crazy soft you can add a few minutes as needed. xo
Jenn, it was perfect!! Thank you thank you thank you for your help. I had so many compliments on it and only a small portion was left.
Thank you!!!! So glad it was a hit!
Hi Jen? my pan is 14.5x 20 I was wondering if this recipe would work?
Hey Kim! Yes absolutely! I don’t want it to be too thin and crispy for you (which spreading it to the full 14.5×20 would most likely do that) so what if you used a folded foil “barrier” to make a false wall of the pan, making it 14.5 x 12.5? This should be perfect for the amount of cookie dough in the recipe. LMK if that works! I think it’s an easier option than making more cookie dough to fit the bigger pan. xoxo
Ok!! Great! Thank you so much.. I will let you know how turns out?
Hello Jenn – Thank you for this recipe. I tried it last night as a test to prepare the cake for my niece’s birthday. I baked it for 16 minutes and then used the broiler per the directions. It was not done. Am I reading the directions correctly? How will I know when the cookie is done? Thank you – Jen
Hey Jen! What dimensions are your pan that you’ve used? This will determine the bake time. When the cookie cake is a bit thicker it can take 18-22 minutes to bake and even longer if additionally thick. I take mine out when slightly underbaked (after the broiler bit to make it golden) and it is still a bit doughy in the center. Then as it completely cools the cookie cake sets and is sliceable. Keep me posted on the dimensions and I’ll help you figure it all out! xoxo
I used an 11 x 17 sheet. I just ordered the specific one you referenced so maybe that will help. I would love to keep it a little doughy but I want to make sure it is cooked enough to serve to children. I think baking it for another 5 minutes would do the trick without cooking in too long. What do you think? The test cookie is almost gone! My niece and family loved it. Thank you
Hey Jen – an extra 5 minutes should be perfect to help it set more in the center for the kiddos and not too long. I’m glad y’all are loving the test cookie – save me a slice!!! xoxo
Can i 1/2 this recipe??
Absolutely! Just be sure to use a smaller pan otherwise it’ll be super thin like cookie bark 😉
My regular cookie cake recipe is a smaller batch if that helps!
Can i use regular chocolate chips instead of bittersweet ones?
Hey Nicole! Yes absolutely – the only difference is that the cookie cake will be sweeter/richer overall 🙂
I feel silly even asking this but do you remove the parchment paper before serving? i don’t see it in your pictures. thanks!
Hey Sarah! It can 100% be left on or you can lift the edges and slide it right out! Sometimes I’ll tear the edges of it off so it’s not visible and leave whatever is under the cookie cake behind 🙂
I made this yesterday for my son’s 2nd birthday party and it was a hit. Who doesn’t love a cookie cake!? And they are uncommon now (Mrs. Fields closed in my local mall!). Chewy, decadent, but not too sweet (I did sub Coconut sugar for the light brown sugar, and still dynamite!). Froze the leftovers to bring to my sisters for Thanksgiving bc cookie cakes are a nostalgic thing of our past 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Thank you so much Samira! Your comment totally made me smile 🙂 and I’m so stoked that coconut sugar works as well – I have a bag in my pantry and will try it next time I make another (which should be soon as my friends have been begging for one!). I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! xoxo
Hello, do you have any ideas for replacements for corn starch?
Hey Sydney 🙂 Totally skip it! It’s one of those baking tricks to make the cookie bake up extra chewy but it will still taste super fantastic without it 🙂
Wow, this really is glorious. My kids are going to love this. Well, that’s if there’s any left after I start on it! Yum, yum, yum.
Can this cookie cake be made without cornstarch? Can something be used in its place?
Also, have you ever added additional things like M&Ms or other candies? Thanks
Also, one more thing, do you know if the frosting would taste just as good if I do not add the cocoa powder (basically making it just a peanut butter frosting rather than chocolate peanut butter frosting)?
Hey Jen! It can absolutely be made without. The texture will be a little different from the professional cookie cakes without it, but still super tasty.
I’ve added white chocolate, macadamia nuts, and peanut butter chips before and loved it! Half chocolate chips half M&Ms would be amazing, I’m sure. You can also make a PB only frosting, I do this all the time 🙂 You’ll use a little more powdered sugar to help set the PB frosting, start with a few extra TBSP and just add it to your liking. XOXO
Thanks Jen. All your recipes are fantastic!! Keep up the great work.
Thank you! 🙂
It seems to me I could make the cake, not frost it, and freeze it for a few weeks, well wrapped? It would be great to have this baking out of the way before an upcoming graduation party.
Hi Rebecca! So excited you’ll be making this cake — it’s totally going to rock that graduation party!
I’ve never defrosted baked cookies before (only dessert-y banana breads and muffins) but I do freeze cookie dough balls *all the time* with great success. I know you for sure could freeze the dough before baking and have great results but I’m not sure about freezing a baked cake — have you ever frozen pre-baked cookies before and defrosted them at a later date? Super curious to know how it works! 🙂 xoxo
I bake regularly and freeze things for our children’s school lunches. This recipe is no exception. I just bake, slice, package in zip lock bags ready to toss in their lunch. It defrosts in time to eat and still totally delicious. Making a big batch like this is a huge time saver.
This is such a fantastic freeze and pack method Emily – thank you!
Hi Jenn, so pleased to come across your blog this morning – this recipe looks amaze-balls! 🙂
Thank you Paul! 🙂
This looks amazing! I have always been too intimated to make a large cookie sheet.
Thanks Bethany! It’s so super easy that it almost feels like cheating, lol! I also love that it’s cheaper than mall cookie cakes and even less expensive than using store bought dough too!
this is awesome!! Cookie cakes are totally the way to my heart. I prefer them over cake for my birthday
Thank you Alicia! Legit every party around here merits a cookie cake! 🙂
HAH! I was at a cookout last night and someone brought a cookie cake and it was literally the talk of the party! Who doesn’t love cookie cake?!
Pretty sure it’s my love language! Team cookie cake FTW!