High Altitude Big Chocolate Chip Cookie Birthday Cake

Instead of a traditional cake for your next birthday celebration, this big chocolate chip cookie cake (or cookie pie if you prefer) is so soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate chips, and sure to please everyone. Pretty pink vanilla buttercream piped around the edges and a scattering of confetti rainbow sprinkles adds such a fun touch. This cookie cake is also really quick and easy to make with no chill time and no mixer needed to make the cookie dough. Serve it plain, with frosting, or topped with a scoop of ice cream!

You might also love these best high altitude chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, and chocolate chip layer cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Always a Crowd Pleaser. Whether you’re a family who’s more into cookies than cake, or you just want something that’s quicker and easier to make than a frosted layer cake, a chocolate chip cookie cake is for you! A big cookie like this is essentially the same thing as chocolate chip blondies or cookie bars, but it’s so much more festive topped with frosting and sprinkles, and cut like wedges of cake or pie.

Easy to Make. I based today’s recipe on my original high altitude chocolate chip cookie recipe, which comes together quickly with just a bowl and spoon, and no mixer needed. And the cookie only needs to cool for 1 1/2 – 2 hours before it’s ready to serve.

Stays Soft for Days. My boys were so into this big cookie cake, and they each had a piece every day until it was gone. By the third day, it was still so soft in the middle with chewy golden edges. The perfect chocolate chip cookie!

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Cookie

• Unsalted Butter. Adds richness, moisture and flavor to the cookie cake.
• Granulated Sugar + Dark Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture, as well as subtle hints of caramel and molasses from the brown sugar.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Egg + Egg Yolk. Gives the cookie cake structure and leavens the dough a little. The extra yolk makes the cookie cake softer and chewier.
• All-Purpose Flour. Adds structure and stability.
• Corn Starch. A small amount of corn starch tenderizes cookie dough for soft, chewy cookie bars.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. A good amount of salt is essential in chocolate chip cookies to enhance the flavor of the chocolate and balance the sweetness.
• Baking Soda. Leavens the dough.
• Chocolate Chips. Choose your favorite chocolate chips for your cookie cake, whether they’re milk, semi-sweet or dark. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips in the dough, and sprinkled a few mini chocolate chips on top before baking.
• Confetti Rainbow Sprinkles or Quins.

Frosting

• Unsalted Butter. Makes a rich, creamy frosting.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
• Meringue Powder. Adds stability.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Food Coloring. Totally optional, but I tinted my frosting pink.

TIP: Instead of vanilla frosting, chocolate buttercream would also be fantastic on this chocolate chip cookie cake.

Instructions

Cookie Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick baking spray.
• In a bowl, combine the melted butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Use a wooden spoon to mix vigorously for 2 minutes.

• Stir in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until smooth.

• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, corn starch, salt and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until no more flour remains. Let the dough sit at room temperature to cool for 10 minutes.

• Stir the chocolate chips into the cooled dough. The dough will be thicker now than it was before cooling.

• Scoop the dough into your prepared pan, and press the dough evenly against the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the dough with the mini chocolate chips and the sprinkles.

• Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cookie is puffed and the top is a light golden brown.
• Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool the cookie for 2 hours, then remove the sides of the pan, and transfer the cookie to a serving plate.

Frosting

• With an electric mixer, beat all the frosting ingredients for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add a few drops of pink or red gel food coloring, if desired.
• Fit a piping bag with Tip #6B, and fill with the buttercream. Pipe a border around the edge of the cookie, and decorate with more sprinkles and mini chocolate chips.

Recipe Variation: Make a Christmas Cookie Cake

Decorate your cookie cake for a Christmas birthday celebration or a holiday party with peppermints, candy canes, chocolate chips, Christmas sprinkles, sparkling sugar and mini marshmallows. Guests will love this delicious and festive dessert!

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this recipe if I don’t live at a high altitude?

Although I test and develop all my recipes for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet, this is a recipe that should work well at any altitude. If it doesn’t puff up enough for you at sea level, you may need to double the baking soda and decrease the flour by 2 tablespoons.

How do I know when my cookie cake is done?

It’s important not to over bake blondies and cookie bars, or they’ll end up dry, and this chocolate chip cookie cake is no exception. That’s why I bake it at a lower temp (325 F) for only 20-22 minutes. The top will be puffed, the color will be a lovely pale golden brown, and the center will be mostly set but slightly underdone beneath the top crust. It’s normal for the center of the cookie to settle down as it cools.

What can I use if I don’t have a 9-inch tart pan?

If you don’t have a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, you can also use an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan with a removable bottom, or even a pie plate.

Can I make this cookie cake ahead of time and freeze it?

Absolutely, this is a great make-ahead dessert, and if you freeze it while it’s fresh, it’ll stay as soft as it is when freshly baked. After baking the cookie, let it cool for 2 hours, remove from the pan, and wrap it well in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3-6 months. Let thaw for 5-6 hours at room temperature, then add the frosting and serve.

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