Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

This brown butter chocolate chip cookie cake was inspired by those Nestle Toll House cookie cakes that seemed to be all the rage when I was a kid. Unlike the Nestle cookie cake, my version bakes up extra thick, soft & gooey, and loaded with various sizes of melty chocolate chips. 

Oh and the brown butter make this cookie cake absolutely irresistible. I went with a simple buttercream piping decoration, but you can absolutely go all out with colored buttercream and sprinkles. It's basically a giant chocolate chip cookie, making it perfect for birthdays, festive parties, or just because!

For more celebratory bakes, try Small Vanilla Cake, Fudgy Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes, Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Brownie Blondies.

Why you'll love this cookie cake

• Soft & Gooey Texture: Unlike store-bought cookie cake, this version bakes up with a soft texture & gooey center, just as any homemade cookie should be!
• Notes of Brown Butter: Just when you thought the combination of flour, butter, and sugar couldn't get any better... The depth of flavor that brown butter brings to this cookie cake is unreal. 
• Customizable Toppings: Decorate this cake however your heart desires! Pipe your favorite buttercream on top, add sprinkles or candy, top with ice cream - the options are endless. 

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: You'll need 170g of brown butter, so start with a couple extra tablespoons to account for the water evaporation. Keep in mind that European-style butter has less water content, so if you're using American-style butter you might want to start with even more butter. 
• Flour: Use high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Leavening: All you need is baking powder to give this cookie cake the perfect rise and texture.
• Sugars: You'll need 1 cup of dark or light brown sugar and ½ cup of granulated sugar for the batter.
• Large Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing it a bowl of warm water. An extra egg yolk will add a dense, chewy texture!
• Vanilla: Use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to round out the flavor of this cookie cake.
• Chocolate: I used a variety of chocolate for visual appeal and a balance of chocolate flavors. I recommend Guittard bittersweet chocolate chips, Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, and Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. A mix of dark and milk chocolate chips would also be delicious!

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this giant chocolate chip cookie cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Brown the butter. In a small saucepan, add 204g (14 ½ tbsp) of unsalted butter and place over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir it with a rubber spatula to encourage even cooking. Once the butter has fully melted, it will alternate between rapid large bubbles and gentle small foamy bubbles. The butter will be ready once it turns a dark golden color and the fat solids have darkened and settled at the bottom of the pan. Immediately pour into a large bowl, scraping out the fat solids at the bottom, and weigh out to 170g (¾ cup). Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

STEP 2: Combine dry ingredients. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

STEP 3: Whisk together wet ingredients. To the brown butter, whisk in the sugars and salt until fully combined. Then, mix in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla.

STEP 4: Fold in flour & chocolate. Add in the dry ingredients, and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.

Expert Baking Tips

• A note on browning butter... Start with a few extra tablespoons of unsalted butter, since water evaporates as it browns. Also, keep in mind that European-style butter has less water content, so if you're using American-style butter you might want to start with even more butter.
• Completely cool the cookie cake. Be sure to let the cookie cake cool completely in the pan and before decorating or the frosting will melt!
• If the frosting is chilled too long... microwave it in 10 second increments until it softens up, then use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until smooth.

Storage Tips

Store this chocolate chip cookie cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x