The Great American Cookie stand carries a lot of nostalgia for me. They were always a fun place to stop while visiting our local mall. Double Doozies were always a favorite! So coming up with a copycat great American chocolate chip cookie cake recipe was a must!
Before kids, date night would often include the great American cookie company. How in the world we could wander the mall for hours on end I will never understand. It’s definitely not something I enjoy doing anymore. We would make our way to Starbucks where I would order my tall Mocha (it inspired me to make a clean copycat Mocha version). And then it was over to the Great American Cookie Company. One sweetness-packed Double Doozie, please! How I handled all of that sugar back then without completely crashing, I don’t know. It definitely affects me differently these days.
Now with my kids by my side, getting big cookies is one of the things they look forward to when we go to the mall. I can’t help but notice that we can’t get out of there without spending almost $20. $20 for cookies I could make at home! Ugh, that hurts a little. That’s only one cookie per family member. And that’s definitely not what a great american cookie cake will cost. But hey, I don’t blame them. They are trying to make money where they can! And I suppose we are at least in part, paying for the experience and the memories. There’s something to be said for a company that is still afloat after so many years.
Copycat Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
A couple of years back, I decided to work on a cookie cake recipe that was even better than one I could buy. I wanted good, quality ingredients without preservatives in my cookie cake. The recipe that resulted costs a fraction of the price of the cookie company, and is even a better price than the cookie cakes you can buy in your grocery store bakery. And bonus, it’s made with good ingredients. (Have you looked at the ingredients of a store-bought cookie cake?? At times, I can’t believe that food companies put that mess into their products…but I digress.) This cookie cake bakes up like soft, chewy cookies, as long as you don’t overcook it, and is incredibly yummy! This recipe definitely won’t disappoint, and I’m so glad I get to share it with you! This original recipe is made with real butter, no corn syrup, and no preservatives. It makes for a great birthday cookie cake!
How to Decorate a Cookie Cake
The beauty of decorating this cookie cake is that it’s customizable. By changing the icing colors, you can match the theme of your party, and even match the balloon garland you may make. I’ve played with this recipe several times and have included a few photos for your inspiration. Try rose and gold for a baby girl’s baby shower, blue and white for a boy, green and white for a dinosaur party, or red and white for Mickey Mouse or Mario. The color options are endless. Even if you are a beginner to buttercream, these decorating techniques are simple to master. The icing tips do most of the work. Once the cookie cake cools, you can even cut it into a different shape, as I did for an art pallet cake. My favorite pan to bake this on is a round pizza pan with edges. It spreads out just beautifully this way. But this recipe would also work on a rectangular cookie sheet that has edges.
Video posted below.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe
- 14″ round pizza pan with edges (this one is my favorite; cost effective and has lasted years)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- Wilton buttercream icing for decorating plus two piping bags and icing tips #7 and #2D (see below for icing steps)
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Either butter your pan or line it well with parchment paper. (I’ve done both and both seem to work well.)
In a large mixing bowl cream butter and brown and white sugars together. Beat together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat in well. Now for the dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon your chocolate chip cookie dough onto the greased pizza pan/ baking sheet and spread batter out as evenly as possible. IMPORTANT: Leave about one inch of space between your dough and the edge of the pan. The batter will spread while cooking, and this will prevent batter overflow and thick cookie edges.
Bake time: Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. I love to use my convection oven for this giant chocolate chip cookie cake because it helps it bake evenly, but a non-convection oven will work. If you find the edges are getting too brown on one side, turn the pan halfway through baking time. The cookie will still be soft in the middle. It should be set, but soft. The cookie will continue to bake in the pan as it cools off.
Buttercream Icing Steps
See the video below if you are more of a visual learner, like myself.
Buttercream Icing (adapted from Wilton’s Buttercream Icing recipe)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
While the cookie is cooling, make your icing. Cream the butter and shortening with an electric hand mixer on low to medium speed in a large mixer bowl. At low speed, slowly incorporate the powdered sugar, alternating it with the milk. Beat together until the icing is fluffy and smooth.
How to Decorate your Cookie Cake
Divide the icing into 2 separate bowls. You will need about 2/3 of your icing recipe for your white icing, and 1/3 for your blue. (Feel free to use whatever colors you want.) When your cookie is completely cool, then it’s time for buttercream. Using your white icing with your #2D tip, hold your piping bag straight up and pipe every other star around your border. Use the same tip, and write your message on the cake. Now it’s time for the blue icing. Using the 2D tip, and holding your piping bag straight up, use gentle, even pressure to pipe blue stars filling in the remaining border. Now use the #7 tip, and outline your message on your cake. Add sprinkles if you desire.
To maintain freshness, loosely wrap with foil or plastic wrap before serving. Cut into slices or squares and serve. Serving size will depend on how you slice it. To box this cookie cake, carefully lift the parchment paper up by it’s edges, and gently slide the cookie cake off of parchment and into a box.
I hope you enjoy this copycat recipe of the Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. Warning: you will find that after making this you simply aren’t satisfied anymore with the taste of store-bought cookie cakes. This cookie cake bakes up buttery, chewy, and with the perfect amount of chocolatey goodness. It will wow your family and friends and you will hear, “You made this???” Send me photos of your creations or tag me on Instagram. I would love to see what you made!
Happy Baking!!
If copycat recipes are your thing, you may also like Copycat Dairy Queen Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake and DIY Nutty Buddy Bars.
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