Get ready to FALL in love with this festive homemade Fall Cookie Cake recipe! This delicious dessert is sure to be a hit at your next party!
It’s officially Fall!
Though it’ll be a while until Texas is graced with crisp Autumn weather and falling foliage, I will gladly celebrate early with this epic cookie cake.
Whether it’s for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, Fall festivals, parties, or bake sales, soft and chewy cookie cake is sure to impress.
I can’t wait to see how you decorate yours!
In addition to the classic chocolate chips, there are so many tasty ways to personalize your Fall themed cookie cake. Here are some delicious options to get you started:
Cookie Cake Mix-Ins
- White Chocolate Chips
- Peanut Butter Chips
- Butterscotch or Caramel Chips
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Cookie Cake Toppings
- Sprinkles
- Candy Corn
- Mini Pumpkins
- M+Ms (mini or regular)
If adding M+M candies, using only the, orange and yellow candies is a great way to keep the Fall vibe going. The same goes for sprinkles! I like to choose assorted sizes/shapes but stick with white, orange, and yellow hues.
Grocery stores and craft stores have the cutest colorful Fall sprinkle packs out right now and you can often find them near the halloween candy and seasonal baking supplies.
Frosting Options
I’ve included my super simple (and delicious!) vanilla buttercream recipe within the recipe card along with the cake. This icing is perfect for dying various colors to fit your theme.
If you’re a huge peanut butter lover, you can use my peanut butter buttercream or chocolate peanut butter frosting.
Frosting Color Combos
For vivid colors reminiscent of a Fall floral wreath or bouquet, opt for richer reds and oranges and pair it with a bright yellow.
For darker colors, make the frosting 1-2 days in advance to allow colors to deepen without the need for extra food coloring. Adding too much can alter the taste of the frosting and make it bitter.
You can also opt for store bought red frosting (red can be a pain in the butt so I’ll frequently just purchase the red) and make the orange and yellows at home since they’re super simple to achieve.
For light and bright colors, frosting can be made fresh when needed. A little goes a long way and you should only need a teeny bit of gel food coloring to make the orange and yellow. Add less to start as you can always add more later.
Cookie Cake Tools + Equipment
Cookies and cookie cakes are 100% the reason I asked for a stand mixer for my birthday years ago. It’s such a rockstar at creaming together butter and sugar and handling even the thickest of cookie doughs. If you have one, always suggest using a stand mixer for your cookie cake.
No stand mixer? A large bowl with an electric hand mixer may be used if needed. Ensure butter is softened to room temp for easier blending. After adding the flour mixture, the dough will get a little crumbly before coming together as a dough.
I use a nonstick 11-inch springform pan for this cookie cake. If you have a nonstick 11-12 inch pizza pan that has a little lip/rim around the edges, you can use that as well.
If using a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan, the cookie cake will be slightly thicker. Adjust bake time from 16 minutes to 18-20 minutes. Check at the 18 minute mark then add additional time as needed. The edges will just begin to darken in color while the middle will appear to have just started to set while still a bit under-baked in the center. It will continue setting as it cools fully. Light aluminum pans will require additional bake time.
For the frosting you can use disposable or reusable piping bags with assorted open star tips to decorate the cookie cake with starburst designs. For rosettes and flowers, a closed star tip works great.
Need to serve a larger crowd? Use this post as inspiration and make a giant Sheet Pan Cookie Cake.
Fall Cookie Cake
I tried to cover alllll the bases in this post so you’re armed and ready to create the chocolate chip cookie cake of your dreams! As always, shoot me a comment if you have any questions or need to swap around pan types and sizes. I’m happy to help you out!
Now let’s get our cookie cake on!
Fall Cookie Cake
Equipment
- 11-inch springform pan (see notes for different sizes)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (1 + 1/2 sticks aka 12 TBSP)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (150 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips plus extra for topping
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened to room temp.
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (180 grams)
- 1-2 TBSP heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- assorted gel food coloring for colorful frosting
Instructions
PREP THE DOUGH
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper.
- Bring butter and eggs to room temp. The butter is ready when a light imprint can be left in the stick of butter with your thumb. To soften faster, slice into chunks.
- Measure flour by weight for best results. No scale? First fluff the flour with a spoon then gently spoon it into a dry measuring cup. Use a butter knife or bowl scraper to scrape the excess so its level with the top edge of the measuring cup.
- In a medium-large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together softened butter and both sugars in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Start at the lowest speed and increase as needed for approx. 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and continue to beat with the mixer to incorporate into the dough, approx. 30-45 seconds.
- Add flour mixture to the larger bowl slowly while you continue to beat on low until incorporated, taking care not to over-mix the dough.
- Use the beater on lowest setting to mix in the chocolate chips.
READY TO BAKE?
- Break off chunks of dough and arrange in the pan. Press together to create an even layer of cookie dough in the pan. It's okay if it doesn't go all the way to the edges as it will spread as it bakes. Press some extra chocolate chips into the top of the dough before baking.
- Bake in the pan on the center rack of the oven at 350°F for 15-17 minutes until the dough has fluffed up and is just slightly starting to darken in color.
- Carefully remove from oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack to fully cool. Until it is perfectly cooled to room temp, the cake will not be fully set. Plan for at least an hour of cool time. While you wait, make the frosting and plan for the fun part – the decorating!
COOKIE CAKE FROSTING
- NOTE: feel free to double the frosting recipe so you have extra to decorate with if you want to play around with additional designs. Leftover frosting can be frozen for later and defrosts like a dream!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. (approx. 1-2 minutes)
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed at first to incorporate then increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes or until fully combined. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and continue mixing on medium speed until everything is well-combined, smooth, and easy to pipe.
- For colorful frosting, divide frosting into portions and add a few drops of gel food coloring to each. Mix well with an electric hand mixer or by hand if preferred. For piping and coloring tips + photos, see blog post.
- Transfer to piping bags (disposable or reusable) fitted with assorted star tips to create cute starburst and flower designs.
MAKE-AHEAD DOUGH + FROSTING
- I almost always make my dough in advance, it's such a time saver! Place prepared dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap securely *OR* place in a shallow airtight container with a lid. Refrigerate overnight or 1-3 days for make-ahead dough for your cookie cake. I find that the flavors and textures are amazing when I do this! When ready to bake, allow dough to soften on the counter for an hour until chunks of dough can be easily pressed into the prepared pan.
- The frosting can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week. Bring back to room temp and lightly mix before adding to a piping bag to decorate. Any leftover frosting can be frozen 1-3 months and defrosted when needed.
Notes
Nutrition
ICING PIPING TIPS
If you need a few stainless steel piping tips to get started, this cupcake decorating set is an amazing deal!
I used Wilton open star tip 4B for the starburst accents and to pipe the circumference of the cake. To make the icing roses I used Wilton drop flower tip 2D. You could also use a 1M open star tip to create flowers.
For the starbursts, I give the piping bag a light squeeze then press down and pull up in a quick motion. For the leaves you simply squeeze and pull.
To make roses, I start in the middle and draw a little counter-clockwise spiral while gently squeezing the piping bag. It’s super easy and you can even practice on parchment paper first.
Q: Can i make the cake and frosting in advance?
Yes! For the dough, place prepared dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap securely *OR* place in a shallow airtight container with a lid. Refrigerate overnight or 1-3 days for make-ahead dough for your cookie cake. I find that the flavors and textures are best this way!
When ready to bake, allow dough to soften on the counter for an hour until softened enough to separate into small chunks. Break off chunks of the dough and arrange in the pan, then press down into a smooth and even layer. I like to sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top before baking, then press any m+m candies in right after baking so they hold their shape.
The cookie cake frosting can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week. Bring back to room temp and lightly mix before adding to a piping bag to decorate. Any leftover frosting can be frozen 1-3 months and defrosted when needed.
I make cookie cakes a lot this time of year so I always have a little stash of assorted frosting bags in the freezer for later.
Q: CAN I USE STORE-BOUGHT FROSTING?
You absolutely can! Feel free to pick up frosting from the grocery store or, better yet, if you need to purchase vs make your frosting, pop over to the bakery section to purchase the frosting the bakery uses for cakes and cupcakes. My local Target actually sells their frosting and I’m sure many grocery store bakeries do as well.
If you get a chance to try this colorful Fall cookie cake, let me know! Leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) and tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your tasty creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Ohh, this is the absolute BEST!
My absolute fave dessert to make for holidays and special occasions! I am NOT a great baker and this makes me feel like I get it 🤣🤣🤣 this recipe is always requested by my kiddos! Love it!
Yay!!! So so glad you guys have been loving the cookie cake and I’m so honored that you’ve been making it one on repeat 🤩 Ty!