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4.6 from 204 votes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe

My cookie cake is chewy, soft, and layered with rich buttercream frosting—better than store-bought and perfect for birthdays and celebrations!

Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 16 people
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (16 oz/454 g) Butter, softened
  • 1 ¾ cups (14 oz/385 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ¾ cups (10 ½ oz/298 g) dark brown sugar (not packed)
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 6 ½ cups (32 ½ oz/923 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 ⅔ cups (16 oz/455 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • ¾ cup (4 oz/115 g) M&M's, optional
  • 1 recipe Best Ever Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Notes

  • Four Layers: This cookie cake has four layers, baked in four pans. If you only have two pans, you can bake the layers in two batches.
  • Alternative Baking Method: You can also pat the cookie dough into 9-inch (23 cm) circles and bake them on parchment-lined sheet pans.
  • Don’t Overbake: Be careful not to overbake the cookie layers. They will firm up as they cool, and if overbaked, they may become too crunchy to cut.
  • Cool Completely Before Frosting: Make sure the cookies are completely cool before frosting.
  • Buttercream Options: You can substitute vanilla buttercream with Best Ever Chocolate Buttercream for a different flavor.
  • Avoid Refrigerated Frosting: Don’t frost with buttercream that needs refrigeration (like cream cheese frosting) as it will make the cookie layers too hard to cut.
  • Baking with a Fan: I updated this recipe for fan-assisted ovens. If you don’t have a fan, bake only two trays at a time, and note that your bake time may vary.
  • Chocolate Choice: I use chocolate bars, but good-quality chocolate chips can be used as well.
  • Make-Ahead Dough: Make the dough up to two days in advance and store it in the pans in the fridge. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 90 minutes before baking.
  • Best Fresh: Like any freshly baked, gooey chocolate chip cookie, this cake is best eaten within two days.
  • Buttercream Prep: You can make the buttercream up to 3 days in advance.