Transform a Cake Mix into a Decadent Homebaked Cookie Dessert in 20 Minutes
My kids don’t like cake. I don’t understand it. I love cake. I wish I didn’t love cake so much.
Their general nonchalance for frosted celebration desserts is certainly at odds with my philosophy on life. But when Sawyer’s birthday rolled around, I figured I needed to put his likes before my own. I mean, it is his birthday.
That means cookies. Both boys go crazy for cookies of all kinds. But since it is a birthday celebration, I decided to split the difference and make decorated cookie cake: a little bit of frosting for me, a lot of chocolate chip cookie for them, everyone wins. Warm it up and adds some ice cream and you have dessert perfection (the cookie sundae happens to be me and #DoneWithFun Daddy’s favorite date-night indulgence).
To simplify my life and make it more festive, this cookie cake uses a Funfetti cake mix as its base. Add some chocolate chips and my secret ingredient, flatten it onto a foil-covered pizza pan, bake and enjoy warm from the oven 20 minutes later.
Or add some decorations and transform it into a Thomas the Tank Engine masterpiece with the help of KitKat train tracks and some green frosting.
Your choice. Both versions taste delicious. Just don’t forget the vanilla ice cream to top it.
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Easy Funfetti Cake Mix Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- 1 Pillsbury Funfetti white cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 5 Tbsp butter, melted
- 12-oz bag milk chocolate chips
- 4 oz Heath milk chocolate toffee bits (about half a bag)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pizza pan with foil. Spray foil lightly with nonstick spray.
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Add bag of milk chocolate chips and half a bag of Heath milk chocolate toffee bits. Stir to combine.
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Spread and press dough evenly into foil-lined pizza pan
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Bake 20 minutes, until top of cookie cake is golden brown. Remove from pizza pan to cooling rack immediately.
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Serve warm with ice cream, or cool completely to frost and decorate.
You could use any white or yellow cake mix as the base for this recipe; I chose Funfetti because everything is more fun with sprinkles.
The Heath milk chocolate toffee bits are the showstopper secret ingredient (also included in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe). They add a buttery caramel sweetness that elevates a standard chocolate chip cookie to an art form. Make sure you buy that kind that includes chocolate, not just toffee bits!
The batter will be thick and hard to stir. Using a stand mixer makes the mixing easy. I have the Hamilton Beach stand mixer, which is a fraction of the cost of a Kitchen Aid and works just as well (though not as pretty).
If you don’t have a stand mixer, I recommend mixing by hand with a dough blender (also called a pastry blender). If you don’t have one of these in your life, get one! It is my favorite mixing tool and I frequently use it in lieu of getting my hand mixer or stand mixer dirty.
Use a silicone spatula to press the dough evenly into the pizza pan. It won’t stick as easily as it would to your hand or a non-silicone utensil.
Do not overbake! You want your cookie cake to be soft and chewy, not crispy.
I think I’ve finally found the birthday dessert option that makes everyone happy! Are you a cake person or a cookie person (or both like me)? Share your cookie cake creations with #NeverDoneWithFun on social media and make sure you’re following along on Instagram and Pinterest for daily ideas and inspiration!
