Homemade Cookie Cake (One Bowl, 30 Minutes)
A one-bowl homemade cookie cake with golden edges, a fudgy center, and chocolate buttercream on top. It slices cleanly, keeps for days, and comes together in about 30 minutes with no mixer required.
Equipment
- 10-inch cast iron skillet or round cake pan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cooling rack
- Pizza cutter (for clean slices)
Ingredients
Cookie Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided (3/4 cup in dough, remaining pressed on top)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (fine sea salt; use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet or round cake pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together with a wooden spoon or spatula until well combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl so the butter doesn't hide.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Mix until just combined and a few streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Fold in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan, pushing it toward the edges. Press the dough slightly higher at the rim to create a shallow crust for the frosting.
- Press the remaining chocolate chips gently into the top of the dough so they stay visible after baking.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 to 24 minutes, until the edges are deep golden brown and the center still looks slightly soft and underdone. The center will continue to set as it cools.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for at least 20 minutes before frosting. For clean slices, cool completely and cut with a pizza cutter.
Notes
Don't overbake. Pull the cookie cake when the center still looks soft and slightly underdone; it sets as it cools. Overbaking makes it dry and crumbly.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze unfrosted, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil, for up to 3 months. Reheat slices for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave to bring back the fresh-baked texture.
Dairy-free: use plant-based butter sticks, not tub margarine. Gluten-free: use a cup-for-cup blend with 2 tablespoons extra flour. No frosting needed? Dust the cooled cookie with powdered sugar instead.