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!
*This post contains affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure for details*.
And for more holiday season goodies for your holiday parties, 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!
Jump to:
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 as the perfect recipe to bring back all those memories! It's the perfect dessert to celebrate, with Christmas sprinkles for a festive look.
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 cookie dough balls, 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 homemade cookies! For this decorated Christmas Cookie cake recipe, we're using a version of chocolate chip cookie dough and topping it with plenty of sprinkles and a ribbon of green frosting!
And if you want another delicious Christmas cake, try my Eggnog Pound Cake!
Cookie Christmas Cake Ingredients
- salted butter - I like to use salted softened 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 large 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, white chocolate chips, or chunks of semisweet chocolate if you like! And if you're a chocolate lover, check out my Hot Chocolate Mug Cake or my Pinecone Brownie Recipe!
- 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! And if you love M&Ms, you need to try my Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies!
- sprinkles - I like to use a mix of red and green sprinkles to add some fun to this Christmas Cookie cake! And if you love sprinkles, check out my Birthday Rice Krispie Treats!
- 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 this easy Christmas 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 delicious Christmas Cookie cake recipe is a 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper, 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!
You'll also need a large bowl to mix it all, and a cooling rack to let your giant cookie cool!
Step by Step
- Start your Christmas cookie cake by creaming together your butter and sugars with an electric mixer or a stand 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 in a single layer 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 your chocolate chip cookie 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 green and red frosting and more sprinkles!
Enjoy this easy treat! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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! Either way, it'll be one of your favorite things this time of year!
This cookie cake recipe will stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, 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 like my Valentine's Day Cake Pops, 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).
- In a bowl, cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- 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 November 10, 2025 by Chenée Lewis
Dylan says
SO GOOD i used this for my class cookie bake off and we won
Chenée Lewis says
Congratulations!! I'm so glad it was a hit!