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Hi Bold Bakers!
This week, I’m sharing my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe from when I was a pastry chef in San Francisco. But chocolate chip cookies by themselves, while lovely, aren’t very BIG and BOLD. So I made four GIANT cookies and sandwiched them together with a vanilla buttercream frosting into the ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.
Now that’s what I call BOLD BAKING! Give it a go!
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- This cookie cake has four layers and uses four pans. If you only have two pans, you can bake the layers in two batches.
- You can also pat the cookie dough into 9-inch (23 cm) circles and bake them on parchment lined sheet pans
- If your oven has a convection setting, you can set the temperature for 325°F (165°C) convection and bake the cookie layers without rotating the pans.
- Be sure not to over bake these cookies. They will firm up as they cool and if you over bake them, they will be too crunchy to cut into.
- Your cookies must be completely cool before frosting.
- Instead of vanilla buttercream, you can use our Best Ever Chocolate Buttercream.
- Don’t frost this with a buttercream that needs refrigeration (like cream cheese frosting) as the cookie layers will be too hard to cut if they are cold.
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Learn how to make my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and create a BIG & BOLD Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Buttercream Frosting!
Servings: 10
Learn how to make my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and create a BIG & BOLD Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Buttercream Frosting!
Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz/454 g) butter (4 sticks), 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) chopped dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
- M&M's for color (optional)
- 1 recipe Best Ever Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
Make the Cookie Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter four 9-inch (23 cm) cake pans. Line each pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), whip the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high for 1-2 minutes, until combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix on medium-low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until fully mixed.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Turn the mixer speed to low and gradually add in the flour mixture until just combined, and lastly, fold in the chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips).
- Divide the dough among the cake pans (about 21 oz/600 g per pan) and press to the edges in an even layer. Top with M&Ms, if using, pressing them slightly into the dough.
- Bake the cookie layers for about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden and just barely set. Be careful not to over bake, you want them soft and doughie.
- Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Assemble the Cookie Cake
- First, choose the best looking cookie to be the very top of your masterpiece and set aside.
- Place one of the remaining layers on a serving plate and spread about ¾ cup (6 oz/170 g) of frosting onto the cookie. Continue layering cookies and frosting. Top with your best looking cookie. Leave the sides and top unfrosted to show contrast.
- Store covered and at room temperature for up to 2 days.
