If you love soft, and thick bakery style cookies this Christmas Cookie Cake is going to be your new favorite dessert. It’s buttery, chewy, packed with sprinkles and all baked in a cake pan to make one giant sliceable cookie. Top it with a little frosting for a dessert that is easy but feels extra special.
This Christmas Cookie Cake is the best kind of cake, its a great way to celebrate Christmas with the sprinkles and frosting making it look extra festive.
The cake is so easy to make, its my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough, with a couple small alterations, and instead of having to chill the dough, or scoop out dozens of balls of dough, we just press it into a cake pan! It’s like one giant sugar cookie that gets baked up in a pan, with a little buttercream frosting on top.
Then you’re serving a thick, chewy cookie slice, with crunchy edges. It feels like a cake for a celebration, but still has the classic cookie texture that everyone loves.
Why you’ll love this
- Quick and Easy: So much easier than baking dozens of individual cookies.
- Perfect for Christmas parties: We need some easy recipes during the holidays to save us time, and if you’re hosting a holiday party you want something easy! This can be cut into 8 large slices, or 12 or 16 smaller slices, perfect for sharing!
- Soft and Chewy Texture: The cookie cake bakes up thick in the cake pan, ensuring the centers of each slice have the best soft and chewy texture. And it lasts for days.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of some of the ingredients you’ll need for this Christmas Cookie Cake Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter: Do not substitute margarine or vegan butters for this recipe, we need the real deal for the best flavor. We’re using it for the cookie dough, and the buttercream frosting.
- Granulated Sugar: I use just granulated sugar to keep the flavor of this like a sugar cookie, you can use half brown sugar and half granulated for more of a chocolate chip cookie dough flavor.
- Egg: Just one egg and one yolk to help bind everything together
- Vanilla Extract: Pure Vanilla Extract adds the best flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: Spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with the back of a butter knife so you don’t end up with too much
- Baking Soda: We’re using just a little baking soda to make the cookie cake soft.
- Christmas Sprinkles: You need to use jimmie style sprinkles, do not use non pareils or the color will bleed in the cookie dough.
- Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness and thickens the frosting. Sift the frosting for the smoothest frosting.
How to make a Christmas Cookie Cake
Step 1: Mix the Butter and Sugar. Add the butter and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream together with a hand mixer, or stand mixer for about 2 to 3 minutes until its light and fluffy. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and mix until they’re just combined.
Step 2: Add in the Dry Ingredients. Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix together until you have a soft cookie dough. Add in the sprinkles, and fold them until they’re evenly mixed into the dough.
Step 3: Press into the Pan. Line a 9inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle on the bottom. Press the dough evenly into the greased and lined pan. Don’t press the dough all the way to the edges, it’ll spread on its own and this will help the edges from raising too much.
Step 4: Bake the Cake. Bake the cake in the preheated oven until the top is golden, the edges are golden brown and the cake is cooked through. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then transfer to a plate or cake stand.
Step 5: Make the Buttercream. Add the butter and powdered sugar together until nice and creamy. Add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and mix until combined. Add drops of green or red food coloring if desired. Mix at medium high speed until the frosting is fluffy. Scoop into a piping bag with a piping tip.
Step 6: Frost the edges of the Cake. Pipe dollops of rosettes onto the edges of the cake. Top frosting with additional sprinkles.
Tips and Tricks:
- Line the Pan: Line the bottom of the pan you are using with a round piece of parchment paper. You can buy them for cake pans, or cut out a piece of parchment by tracing the bottom of the pan.
- Don’t over Bake: Take the cookie cake out of the oven once the edges look lightly browned and the top is set. The cookie will continue baking out of the oven, and we want it to remain soft and chewy.
- Piping Tip: I like to use a Wilton 1M Piping tip to pipe the buttercream frosting onto the edges of my cookie cake. I usually just stick the tip in a ziplock bag, then scoop in the frosting and pipe.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Add 1 to 1.5 cups of Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Chips to the cookie dough if desired.
Storage Instructions
This Sugar cookie cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If your kitchen is extra warm, store the cake in the fridge.
This Christmas Cookie Cake is a soft, chewy, festive, and delicious treat to make. It brings all the flavors of a classic chewy cookie into a fun sliceable holiday dessert, that is perfect for a party, baking with kids, or whenever you want a cheerful dessert for your table.
More Christmas Favorites
- Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Frozen Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Cranberry Custard Pie
- Christmas Jello Poke Cake
- How to Make a Candy Train
- White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
If you try these Christmas Cookie Cake, please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Christmas Cookie Cake
Ingredients
For the Christmas Cookie Cake:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 TBS Christmas Jimmie Sprinkles (divided)
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 TBS Heavy Cream
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 dash Salt
- 6 drops Green Food Coloring (optional)
Instructions
For the Christmas Cookie Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9inch cake pan lightly with baking spray, and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. Set it aside.
- Add the butter and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix with a stand mixer or hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter, 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. 1 large Egg + 1 Egg Yolk , 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir together until you have a soft cookie dough. 2 cups All Purpose Flour, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Salt
- Add 5 TBS of the sprinkles to the cookie dough and fold them into the dough until evenly divided into the dough. 6 TBS Christmas Jimmie Sprinkles
- Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan but not all the way to the edges. Leave about 1/2 to 1 inch of space on the edges (the cookie will still spread to the edges, but this will help prevent the edges from raising as high.)
- Bake the cookie for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the middle looks just set.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookie cake cool in the pan for 1 hour. (If the edges are still raised you can press them down slightly with the back of a spoon while the cake is still warm).
- Transfer the cake to a platter or serving dish until you're ready to frost it.
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- Add the butter to a medium bowl and beat it with a hand mixer until its smooth, about 2 minutes. 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until each is mixed in completely. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- Add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and mix on medium speed until everything is combined. Add additional heavy cream, or powdered sugar as needed to get the right consistency for a spreadable frosting. 2 TBS Heavy Cream, 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1 dash Salt,
- Add in the green food coloring and mix until the color is even throughout. Mix until frosting is smooth and fluffy. 6 drops Green Food Coloring
- Add a 1M (or other) piping tip to a piping bag or ziplock bag and scoop the frosting into the bag.
- Pipe the frosting onto the edges of the cookie cake. Sprinkle the remaining 1 TBS of sprinkles over the top of the frosting.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Line the Pan: Line the bottom of the pan you are using with a round piece of parchment paper. You can buy them for cake pans, or cut out a piece of parchment by tracing the bottom of the pan.
- Don’t over Bake: Take the cookie cake out of the oven once the edges look lightly browned and the top is set. The cookie will continue baking out of the oven, and we want it to remain soft and chewy.
- Piping Tip: I like to use a Wilton 1M Piping tip to pipe the buttercream frosting onto the edges of my cookie cake. I usually just stick the tip in a ziplock bag, then scoop in the frosting and pipe.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Add 1 to 1.5 cups of Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Chips to the cookie dough if desired.
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