This milk chocolate cookie cake is thick, soft and chewy. It’s basically a chocolate chip cookie cake on chocolaty steroids. Yep, it’s that good. Topped with brown sugary salted caramel frosting. Dress it up with Sprinkle Pop’s “Basic Witch” mix for a little bit of Halloween glam!
Love cookie cake? Find my original chocolate chip cookie recipe here!
Honestly, the hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the cookie cake to cool. Start by melting 1/4 cup of milk chocolate chips. Make sure to use milk chocolate (not semi-sweet), otherwise it won’t have the same flavor. I also recommend greasing the pan with butter and cocoa powder, for a little extra chocolate flavor.
This recipe calls for instant chocolate pudding mix. That’s the key ingredient that makes the cookie cake so soft and chewy. Find the pudding mix on Amazon if your local grocery store doesn’t carry it.
Note: I earn a small commission every time you make a purchase through an affiliate link. But there’s no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Roses & Whiskers.
The cookie cake will take a couple of hours to cool. Leave it in the pan while it’s cooling and start on the salted caramel frosting. (Quick note: when it’s time to remove the cake from the pan, run a butter knife gently around the edge between the cake and the pan. That will help the cake slide easily out.)
Note: This recipe was originally created for Sprinkle Pop, who compensated me for my time. But all opinions are my own.
Don’t skip the sifting step when making the frosting. If you don’t have a sifter, run the powdered sugar and salt through a fine-meshed colander.
Just FYI, the frosting recipe yields a little more than you actually need for a border. Feel free to spread it on the entire top of the cake or use the extra for another project.
Dye the frosting pink and top with Sprinkle Pop’s “Basic Witch” mix or your favorite Halloween sprinkles. Pink is a nontraditional Halloween color for sure, but it pairs so well with the blacks. oranges, purples and greens we’re used to!
Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you try this milk chocolate chip cookie cake and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Happy baking!
Milk Chocolate Cookie Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
Milk Chocolate Cookie Cake Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour or substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-full cookie cake
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips melted and slightly cooled
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
Salted Caramel Frosting Ingredients
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 2 tbsp Crisco
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1/8 tsp salt sifted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp whole milk
- pink food dye optional
- Sprinkle Pop's "Basic Witch" mix optional
Instructions
- Melt ¼ cup of milk chocolate chips according to the instructions on the bag. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and cocoa powder. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease that also.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, and then cream in the instant pudding mix.
- Beat in the egg and yolk, making sure they are fully incorporated into the batter. Mix in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract.
- On low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture at a time, until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 24 to 26 minutes. The middle should be soft but not doughy. Let the cake cool completely in the pan. The cake will firm up more as it cools.
- Once cool, carefully flip the cake out onto a cooling rack. (It will be upside down.) Then flip the cake right-side up onto a cake board or serving platter.
Decorating the Cookie Cake
- Make the salted caramel frosting while the cookie cake is cooling. Combine the butter, Crisco, brown sugar and heavy cream in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the sugar, butter and Crisco are completely dissolved and the mixture just begins to boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl. Let cool to room temperature, about an hour.
- Sift the powdered sugar and salt while the brown sugar mixture is cooling. Then slowly mix it into the brown sugar on low speed. Add half of the powdered sugar/salt, followed by 1 tablespoon of milk and the vanilla. And the remaining sugar/salt and mix on high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in more milk if necessary, but ½ tsp at a time.
- Mix in pink food dye to desired color.
- Use Wilton tip 4B to pipe the border and top with Sprinkle Pop’s “Basic Witch” sprinkles or your favorite sprinkle mix. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
