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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Published: Oct 5, 2022 by Sloane · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

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    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This chocolate chip cookie cake is a riff off of the childhood classic with a gooey texture, notes of caramelized butter, and a variety of chocolate chips!

    chocolate chip cookie cake with four slices cut

    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 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.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this cookie cake
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Kitchen Equipment 
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Expert Baking Tips
    • FAQ
    • Decoration Ideas
    • Storage Tips
    • Baking in Grams
    • Other cake recipes to try
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    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. 
    two slices of cookie cake on their sides to show inside texture

    Ingredient Notes

    Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions. 

    ingredients for chocolate chip cookie cake
    • 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.
    • Leaveners: 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.
    • Egg: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing it a bowl of warm water.
    • Vanilla: Use vanilla bean paste or 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.

    Kitchen Equipment 

    • 8" Cake Pan
    • Parchment Paper
    • Small Saucepan
    • Mixing Bowl
    • Whisk
    • Rubber Spatula 

    Step by Step Instructions

    This is a super easy bowl & whisk kind of recipe. There is the extra step of browning the butter, which requires a close eye. But other than that, this recipe is a basic cookie batter loaded with ALL the chocolate chips. So easy and such a fun celebratory dessert!

    brown butter in glass measuring cup
    Step 1
    cookie cake batter in glass bowl
    Step 2

    Step 1: Start by browning the butter, then placing it in the fridge to cool down to room temperature.

    Step 2: Make the cookie cake batter by whisking together the melted, cool brown butter & sugars, then mixing in the eggs & vanilla, and folding in the dry ingredients. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.

    cookie cake batter in cake pan
    Step 3
    baked cookie cake in pan
    Step 4

    Step 3: Pour the batter into the prepare pan, smooth out the top, and sprinkle more chocolate chips on top. 

    Step 4: Bake for about 35 minutes until evenly golden. Allow to cool completely in the pan and before decorating. 

    Expert Baking Tips

    • Start with an extra couple tablespoons of 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.
    • Don't add ingredients to the hot brown butter. Chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to bring it to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
    • I recommend using a variety of chocolate chip sizes, as well as a mixture of semi-sweet and bittersweet for visual appeal and balance of chocolate flavor. 
    • Be sure to let the cookie cake cool completely in the pan and before decorating or the frosting will melt!
    whole chocolate chip cookie cake decorated with buttercream

    FAQ

    How to brown butter:

    To brown the butter, in a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat for several minutes, swirling to even out the color. It will alternate between bubbling and foaming. The butter will be ready once the fat solids have separated and darkened, and the butter is an even medium amber color. It should take about 10 minutes, depending on the amount of butter you're using.

    Can I skip browning the butter?

    Yes, though you will be missing out on the most incredible flavor! Simply use 170g of cooled melted unsalted butter and continue with the recipe as written.

    Can I make this in a 9" cake pan?

    Yes! The cookie cake will be just a little bit thinner, so it should bake a little faster.

    straight on shot of cookie cake slice to show inside texture

    Decoration Ideas

    I used leftover swiss meringue buttercream to decorate this cookie cake, but you could use store-bought frosting or any of these recipes:

    • American Vanilla Buttercream
    • Meringue Topping
    • Pumpkin Swiss Meringue Buttercream
    • Mascarpone Frosting

    Storage Tips

    Store this chocolate chip cookie cake in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

    four slices of cookie cake with one turned on its side

    Baking in Grams

    All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed to create incredibly delicious baked goods that you can easily recreate in your own kitchen with success. The only way this is possible is to standardize the way ingredients are measured - by weight. 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), I can ensure that you can make the recipe 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

    slice of cookie cake on parchment paper

    Other cake recipes to try

    • Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
    • slice of chocolate tiramisu cake on plate with fork.
      Chocolate Tiramisu Cake
    • slice of chocolate fudge cake on stack of white plates
      Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake
    • slice of cranberry orange cake on white plate
      Cranberry Orange Cake

    If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating & review below and post a picture (or video!) on Instagram and tag me so I can see your bakes! Not ready to make this recipe yet? Click the heart button on the right of your screen to save it for later 🙂

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    📖 Recipe

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    chocolate chip cookie cake with four slices cut

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
    • Author: Sloane
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 35 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield: 8" cookie cake 1x
    • Category: cake
    • Method: baking
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This chocolate chip cookie cake is a riff off of the childhood classic with a gooey texture, notes of caramelized butter, and a variety of chocolate chips! 


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 170g (¾ cup; 12 tbsp) brown butter, melted & cooled (start with 204g or 14 ½ tbsp unsalted butter)*
    • 240g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
    • ¾ tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp kosher salt
    • 213g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
    • 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
    • 170g (1 cup) chocolate chips + more for topping*

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Grease an 8" cake pan with softened butter and use two long, thick strips of parchment paper to line the pan, leaving the ends sticking up for easy removal of the cake. For extra assurance, cut out a circle of parchment paper to line the entire bottom of the pan.
    3. Start by browning the butter. You'll need 170g of brown butter, so start with about 204g (as the butter melts, water evaporates).*
    4. To brown the butter, in a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat for several minutes, swirling to even out the color. The butter will be ready once the fat solids have separated and darkened, and the butter is an even medium amber color.
    5. Pour the brown butter into a glass measuring cup and place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.*
    6. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
    7. Weigh out the cooled melted brown butter into a medium size mixing bowl.
    8. Whisk in the sugars until fully combined.
    9. Mix in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla.
    10. Add in the dry ingredients, and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined.
    11. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
    12. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.
    13. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top, as desired.
    14. Bake the cookie cake for about 35 minutes until evenly golden on top and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
    15. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
    16. Lift the cookie cake from the pan using the parchment strips onto a serving plate or cake stand.
    17. Decorate as desired and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Start with an extra couple tablespoons of 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.
    • Don't add ingredients to the hot brown butter. Chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to bring it to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
    • I recommend using a variety of chocolate chip sizes, as well as a mixture of semi-sweet and bittersweet for visual appeal and balance of chocolate flavor.
    • Be sure to let the cookie cake cool completely in the pan and before decorating or the frosting will melt!

    Keywords: cookie cake, chocolate chip cookie cake, brown butter

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @sloanes.table on Instagram and hashtag it #sloanestable

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Julia says

      October 09, 2022 at 11:19 am

      Easy recipe to follow and super delish! I had to bake mine about 10 minutes longer than the recommended time. Loved the constancy when it was done!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Sloane! Welcome to Sloane’s Table! I am a Dartmouth College alumna, professional baker, recipe developer, and food photographer. Here, you will find tried-and-true recipes of baked goods ranging from easy & indulgent to bakery-worthy to simple & healthyish.

    Learn more about me →

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