makes eight generous servings
I’ve always thought that cookie cakes were one of the few things (in addition to mayonnaise and kimchi) that you’re better off buying than making at home. A cookie that big will surely dry out during the long time that it takes to bake, I thought. It will probably stick to the pan, I thought. Or maybe the edges will burn and the middle will be doughy. Fortunately, Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction has put my skepticism to bed, tucking it in amongst wedges of cookie cake and securing sweet buttercream dreams.
Sally uses exclusively brown sugar, an extra egg yolk, and a few teaspoons of cornstarch to achieve that distinct chewy consistency. I ran out of semi-sweet chocolate chips, so I subbed in half a cup of white chocolate ones. I’m very happy with the result, so feel free to do the same!
This cake may not have the wow factor of a traditional layer cake, but it takes half the time, appeals to more people, and packs just as much (if not more) flavor. Make it to thank someone for being your friend, or to gain popularity at work, or just because it’s A GIANT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE! This is the cookie cake you see in the cases at the mall, but without the chemical undertones and the brightly colored frosting that dyes your teeth blue.
Ingredients
Cookie
- 3/4 butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (peanut butter or butterscotch chips would also be good
Frosting*
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the cookie, preheat the oven to 350º and grease a 9-inch cake pan or pie dish. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat until creamy. Mix in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate/white chocolate chips until well distributed. Pat evenly into the prepared pan (my dough was pretty sticky, so I dumped it into the pan, covered it in a sheet of wax paper, and then spread it around so that my hands wouldn’t get covered in dough) and bake for 25 minutes. At the 18 minute mark, I would recommend covering the top of the cookie with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool fully on a rack.
Beat all of the frosting ingredients together, then pipe around the border of the cookie (I used an open star tip). Serve with a gallon of milk.
* This frosting didn’t really do it for me. In my opinion, frosting is a huge part of cookie cake, and this was so light that I hardly even tasted it. It wasn’t bad, but you should use your favorite buttercream recipe – most flavors go with chocolate chip!
LENA'S LUNCHBOX 