This decorated Christmas cookie cake recipe is one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes because it’s SO easy! This Christmas cake is made from moist chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with fun Christmas cookie cake designs! And for more holiday goodies, try my Eggnog Bread Pudding with Brown Butter Rum Sauce, my No Spread Sugar Cookies, or put it all together with my Christmas Charcuterie Board!
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Christmas Cookie Cake Recipe
All my fellow 80s babies remember the iconic mall stores that sold those amazing chocolate chip cookie cakes! The ones with the frosting piped around the edges and "Happy Birthday" written in the middle. They were so amazing, and really take me back to childhood, especially at holiday time! Luckily, we've got this decorated Christmas cookie cake to bring back all those memories!
Best of all, it's SO easy to make -- the dough is basically the same as a classic chocolate chip cookie dough, but instead of having to scoop out dozens of cookies, you'll just need to press the dough into your springform pan! It couldn't be easier!
Why is it called a cookie cake?
It's called a cookie cake because it's a cake made with the flavors and texture of cookies! For this decorated Christmas Cookie cake recipe, we're using a version of chocolate chip cookie dough and topping it with fun Christmasy sprinkles and a ribbon of green frosting!
Cookie Christmas Cake Ingredients
- salted butter - I like to use salted butter, but if you only have unsalted that's fine too! Just add ½ teaspoon salt in with your dry ingredients later!
- brown sugar & granulated sugar - I like a combo of brown sugar and white sugar to achieve a sweetness in this Christmas Cookie cake that is rich, but balanced.
- eggs - make sure your eggs are room temperature!
- pure vanilla extract - vanilla is a major flavor in this cookie cake, so make sure you use a great-quality vanilla extract.
- all-purpose flour - I definitely recommend measuring your flour by weight using a kitchen scale. For this recipe, you'll need 288 grams of flour.
- baking soda - gives this Christmas cookie cake a bit of lift!
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips - I like the look and texture of mini chips, but you can use regular chocolate chips or chunks of semisweet chocolate if you like!
- m&ms - I like to add some holiday M&Ms to the top of the cake before baking, and also on top of the frosting after it's baked!
- sprinkles - I like to use a mix of festive sprinkles to add some fun to this Christmas Cookie cake!
- frosting - you'll need a buttercream frosting to pipe on to decorate this cookie cake! I like to keep this recipe super easy, so I grabbed a Pillsbury filled pastry bag to make decorating the cookie cake as quick and simple as possible. You could also use a store-bought decorating icing! Or if you'd like to make a great buttercream frosting from scratch, check out my mini vanilla cake recipe!
Equipment
The main tool you'll need for this Christmas Cookie cake is a 9-inch springform pan, cake pan, or a tart pan with a removable bottom, which is what I used. If you use a tart pan, be sure it's at least 1.5 inches deep to accommodate the amount of cookie dough!
Step by Step
- Start your Christmas cookie cake by creaming together your butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Once they're nice and fluffy, add in your eggs and vanilla. Mix another few minutes until everything is fluffy and smooth.
- Then you'll sift in your flour and baking soda (and salt, if using unsalted butter).
- Fold the dry ingredients in using a rubber spatula. You don't want to overmix the dough, so just fold until everything is just barely combined. Now you're almost done!
- Fold in your chocolate chips until they're evenly distributed. Then press your dough into your prepared pan. You can use your hands or coat a spoon with a little powdered sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough.
- Now you can have fun with your m&ms and sprinkles! Sprinkle them all over the top of the cake -- as many as you like!
- Bake! Check it after 20 minutes -- it should be done but slightly soft in the center, which is perfect! Let your Christmas cookie cake cool completely before decorating with frosting and more sprinkles!
Tips and F.A.Q.
Not much -- a cookie cake is essentially a very large chocolate chip cookie, but with decorations that make it more festive! So is a Cookie Cake a cake or a cookie? It's both!
This cookie cake recipe will stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature, or you can freeze it for up to three months. Let the cake thaw, still wrapped, and come to room temperature before serving.
You'll know the your Christmas Cookie cake is done baking when it's golden brown on the edges and the center is set. Be careful not to overbake so that it keeps that soft cookie center!
You can change the colors of the sprinkles, M&Ms, and frosting to match different celebrations! I love the idea of baking it in a heart-shaped springform pan with red and pink decorations for Valentine's Day, or orange, black and green for Halloween!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Ginger Crinkle Cookies
- Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
- Almond Lemon Cookies
- Christmas Charcuterie Board
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
- 9-inch tart pan
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter - room temperature (2 sticks)
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar - packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour - (288 grams)
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 cup (237 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup (59 g) holiday m&ms
- ¼ cup (50 g) sprinkles, nonpareils, and/or sanding sugar
- frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a springform pan, tart pan, or cake pan with baking spray (see note).baking spray
- In a bowl, cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.1 cup salted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Mix in eggs, followed by vanilla extract. Beat for another 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sift in flour and baking soda. Fold with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Fold in mini chocolate chips.1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Press dough into the bottom of prepared pan using hands or a spoon dipped in powdered sugar.
- Add sprinkles and M&Ms evenly to top of dough.¼ cup sprinkles, nonpareils, and/or sanding sugar, ¼ cup holiday m&ms
- Bake 20-25 minutes in preheated oven or until browned on the edges.
- Cool in pan at least 30 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Use a piping bag to swirl frosting around the edge of cooled cake. Top frosting with M&Ms and sprinkles.frosting
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Last Updated on December 17, 2021 by Chenée Lewis
Dylan
SO GOOD i used this for my class cookie bake off and we won
Chenée Lewis
Congratulations!! I'm so glad it was a hit!