This homemade heart-shaped valentine cookie cake is the sweetest treat to share with your loved ones on Valentine’s Day!
Skip the the pricey mall cookie cake; this super-sweet valentine cookie cake can be made with fridge and pantry staples you already have on hand!
If that’s not cause for celebrations and heart eyes I don’t know what is.
If you’ve ever whipped up a batch of cookies at home, then this homemade cookie cake is going to knock your socks off because it’s actually EASIER to make than cookies.
SERIOUSLY!
For this cake-shaped cookie you won’t need to roll perfectly measured balls or chill dough. We’ll simply line this heart shaped baking pan with parchment paper and press the cookie dough right into the pan.
In 14 minutes you’ll have the most delicious cookie cake to share with family and friends!
Easy Homemade Valentine Cookie Cake
I’ve become a wee bit famous in my circle of friends for making homemade cookie cakes for basically every occasion ever.
Birthdays, holiday parties, game nights, baby showers, groundhogs day… (hah!) you name it, I’ve cookie caked it.
I make giant sheet pan cookie cakes for neighborhood block parties and cutesy little wreath-shaped cookie cakes for Christmas and I’m so stinkin’ excited to add this heart-shaped cake to my collection!
I’ll include a recipe for my homemade chocolate fudge frosting in the recipe card below or you can use your favorite frosting recipe in it’s place if you’d like.
In place of chocolate you can use vanilla buttercream (and even dye it pink if you’re feeling extra festive!), peanut butter frosting, strawberry frosting, or try it with my totally decadent chocolate peanut butter frosting.
You can even use store-bought icing if needed but I pinkie promise it’s crazy easy to make a baller buttercream at home!
And since you *probably* need a heart shaped pan in your life to make this bad boy, I snagged a Wilton Giant Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake Pan on Amazon for under $7. It measures 11.5 by 10.5 inches and is about half an inch tall.
Ready to get your valentine cookie cake on? Print the recipe card below and meet me in the kitchen!
Valentine Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 + 1/2 sticks aka 12 TBSP)
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar (150 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2-3 TBSP M+M candies
- optional sprinkles for decorating
CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING
- 3 oz unsweetened or bittersweet baking chocolate (squares or chips will work here)
- 5 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 TBSP heavy cream or milk as needed
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- First set out butter, milk, and one large egg. We want the butter to soften and the cold ingredients to reach room temp. before baking. Measure out all ingredients in advance for fuss-free baking.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- First make the cookie cake. In a large bowl whip softened butter, then cream together with brown and granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer until well-mixed and creamy in consistency.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and continue to beat with the mixer to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the larger bowl slowly while you continue to beat on low.
- Once your dough is mixed, fold in chocolate chips, saving a spoonful or two for topping the cake at the end.
- Trace your heart-shaped cookie cake pan onto parchment paper to make your liner. Place parchment paper in the pan then press in your dough.
- Top dough with remaining chocolate chips. Save adding the M+M's for after the cake has baked to prevent cracking.
- Bake on the center rack for 14-16 minutes. Mine was done in 15 minute but oven temperments tend to vary so be sure to check on it at around 13-14 minutes.
- Once cookie is ready, use an oven mitt to remove pan from oven and set on top of a wire baking rack. Add M+M's immediatley while the cookie is still hot by pressing into the cake in any pattern you choose.
- Allow cookie cake to completley cool before icing and slicing. Cake will be very soft in the center and set once it has cooled.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING
- First, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring often and mixing well to emulsify. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
- Next in a medium-large bowl with your electric hand mixer, whip together chocolate/butter mixture with vanilla extract and the teenist bit of salt to enhance the chocolate flavor. Blendin half the milk/cream then sprinkle in powdered sugar slowly in 3-4 batches, while mixing until fluffy and fully incorporated.
- Add additonal milk/cream to thin the frosting as needed to reach desired consistency. To make it creamy enough to pipe, I needed an additonal 2 TBSP of cream for 4 TBPS total. Add to a piping bag with a large star tip (or your favoite piping tip) and decorarte cookie once cooled. Feel free to add festive sprinkles on top!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this heart shaped cookie cake, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Making this cookie cake in advance?
Though you don’t need to chill the dough first, you can 100% make and chill your dough a day or two in advance.
You can also bake the cookie cake the night before (cover in foil once cooled and set it on the counter at room temperature) and prep your frosting in advance too.
I store my prepped frosting in an airtight container the fridge and simply bring to room temperature and give it a little extra whip before I need to use it.
hungry for more?
Satisfy your sweet tooth and check out these delicious desserts next:
- Easy Oreo Balls
- Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- NEW! Chocolate Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- My FIL’s famous Key Lime Pie
Best cookie cake I’ve had by far!
Thank you Laura!
Love this easy to make recipe! You can jazz it up for any holiday or just because-it is easy to make and a fave in our house!
Yesss! So happy you’re loving the recipe. We make the heart cookie cake year-round around here! Love is always in style ❤️❤️
I LOVE this recipe! I make it all the time. I bought a new pan, round 11″ dark non-stick. Should I lower the oven temp to 325° or stay at 350°?
Thanks Sandi! I use a dark springform when I make my circular cookie cakes and always stay at 350°F so I’d stick with the temp and start checking for doneness around 15 minutes. Times vary a wee bit based on oven temperament. When I do a 11-inch round it was always done between 15-18 minutes in my old oven. Will have to see what our new oven is like now that we’ve moved lol! Happy baking!
This cookie cake was delicious and insta worthy! Me and the kids ate it up within the first day!!
It’s the magical vanishing cake haha! Thanks Cassie!
This is such a fun cookie cake! I love how it’s decorated and I’ll definitely be making this for Valentine’s Day this year!
I cannot wait for y’all to try it! My family and friends devoured it so fast I only got the tiniest slice. I think I need to make another this week as well!
This is the cutest cookie! i’m making it for my kids to enjoy as a dessert on valentine’s day. Thank you for this beautiful and easy recipe!
Yay! Thank you Lisalia!