Chocolate chip cookie cake

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

When I started my blog a few years ago, I begged the managers at the FOX59 news station to let me do a cooking segment. Eventually, I was annoying enough that they let me do a segment once every blue moon.

But exactly one year ago today, I had my first segment with early morning anchors Kristin Kane and Scott Jones. We all had such great chemistry together, and it went really well. Kristin believed in me and my blog, so “Kylee’s Kitchen” became a weekly segment on FOX59 Morning News.

One year after our first segment together, Kristin announced she was leaving Indianapolis. I was upset because she’s been a good friend, neighbor, and co-worker to me throughout the past few years, and she’s given me lots of good advice.

I knew I wanted to do something special for her on her last day, so I surprised her during the show with a cookie cake!

Cookie cakes are wonderful because they’re just big giant cookies, but you don’t have to worry about forming the dough into balls.

I used a 14-inch diameter deep-dish pizza pan for my cookie cake because I needed it to be big enough to feed all of my co-workers. That being said, I had to make a double-batch of cookies to fill the pan. You could always use a 9-inch or 10-inch diameter pie pan if you wanted a smaller cookie cake, and then you wouldn’t need to make a double batch of cookie dough.

I decorated my cookie cake with chocolate frosting on the edges and then I used the frosting to write a message. You don’t have to use chocolate frosting though. You could us vanilla frosting or none at all. Or if you want lots of frosting, smother it on the entire surface!

I always make my frosting with Challenge unsalted butter. It’s free of preservatives and hormones and made with real cream. You can really taste the difference!

Chocolate chip cookie cake with dark chocolate frosting

Yield: serves about 20 people

Ingredients

For the cookie

• 2 and 1/4 cups flour (281.25 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup Challenge salted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar (207 grams)
• 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the dark chocolate frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted Challenge butter, softened to room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons milk

Directions

For the cookie

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Measure flour and baking soda in medium bowl. Combine and set aside.
3. In large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fuffy.
4. Add instant vanilla pudding package and beat until well blended.
5. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
6. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until just incorporated.
7. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.
8. Press dough into prepared deep-dish pizza pan.
9. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet completely before frosting.

 For the frosting

1. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, and milk, beating on low speed after each addition.
3. Once everything is added, beat on high speed until creamy for about 2 minutes.
4. Decorate cooled cake with frosting.