Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

A most excellent late night/early morning snack, perfect for those post-bachelorette party nights on the town.

Cookie cakes are also a good choice for celebrating your sweetie's father's birthday.  Only regret:  not enough icing!

$35.18. That's how much "that cookie place in the mall" (you know which one) charges for a large pan-sized cookie cake. Not exactly a budget-friendly treat, especially considering all the belt-tightening we've all been doing these days. But good news, everyone: you can make equally tasty cookie cakes at home for the fraction of the cost! All you need is the standard back-of-the-bag chocolate chip recipe and a secret ingredient that helps the cookie stay soft after baking: light corn syrup.

The dough will be quite loose, almost batter-like in consistency...

...so make sure to leave room for growth, or it will surely begin climb out of the pan as it bakes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake  (Yield: one 13 x 18" pan)
Adapted from Southern Plate and Nestlé® recipes

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Generously grease a 13 x 18" rimmed cookie sheet (I used one 9 x 13" pan and one 12" round pizza pan).

Cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.  Blend in corn syrup, eggs, and vanilla until incorporated.  Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture, and mix to combine.  Dough will be soft and moist.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

Spread cookie dough into prepared pan(s), leaving a one-inch border between the dough and edge of pan.  This gives the dough room for expansion as it bakes, resulting in a flatter cookie cake with minimal "curbing" at the edges.  You may find it helpful to use damped fingers to pat out the sticky dough.  Bake in 325°F oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on size and thickness (it took 28 minutes to bake both the 9 x 13" pan and 12" pizza pan).  Cool completely before decorating.


White Decorator Frosting
Adapted from Christy Jordan

1 cup shortening
pinch of salt
3-5 Tbl. water
1½ tsp. clear vanilla extract
¼ tsp. butter flavoring
1 lb. powdered sugar (approx. 3¾ cups)
1 Tbl. meringue powder

Combine shortening and salt in a mixer bowl and cream together on low speed using the whisk attachment.  Add water (start with 3 Tablespoons), extracts, meringue powder, and about one-third of the powdered sugar.  Mix on medium-low speed until combined, scraping bowl as needed.  Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the remaining powdered sugar while mixing.  If frosting seems to dry or thick, add more water.  Once all the sugar has been added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.