Fall Cookie Cake

Fall is the season of cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, and most importantly, fall flavors. If you're looking for the perfect treat to enjoy on a chilly autumn evening, look no further than a Fall Cookie Cake.

This Fall Cookie Cake is a giant chocolate chip cookie with all sorts of warm fall flavors. Think cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger which all pair deliciously with chocolate. We decorate it with some adorable vanilla buttercream pumpkins. But, the frosting can be changed to more fall-like flavors like a caramel, pumpkin or even apple butter buttercream.

This cozy Fall Cookie Cake is the perfect treat to share with friends and family. With warm spices and decadent chocolate chips, it's sure to satisfy any sweet tooth and will make your home smell amazing!

If you're looking for more cozy recipes, check out my savory Zucchini Potato Soup, Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta, and Apple Brie Salad recipe.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

This Fall Cookie Cake is Delicious - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove are tasty fall spices that go fabulously with chocolate! The frosting can also be classic vanilla or chocolate or even more fall inspired. Think caramel, pumpkin or even apple butter buttercream.

Fun and Festive Appearance - we decorate the cookie cake with vibe pumpkins in different shades of orange.

Perfect for Sharing - Cookie cake is perfect for sharing! This one can be sliced into 6-8 generous slices but can be cut into as many as 12 slices.

Ingredient Notes

Shorting - room temperature, makes the cookie cake super tender and thick.

Unsalted Butter - room temperature, helps crisp up edges and gives the cookie cake a buttery taste. I use unsalted to control the salt levels in the recipe.

Granulated Sugar + Brown Sugar - to give our cookie cake that classic cookie taste. I like dark brown sugar for a more rich caramel flavor.

Egg - One egg for the richest, softest and chewiest cookie cake ever.

Vanilla Extract - for extra flavor

Baking Soda + Baking Powder - Leavening agents for an extra thick cookie cake.

Salt -A pinch of salt will keep your cookie cake moist and flavorful.

Spices - I use a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove to give our cookie cake fall flavors that pairs deliciously with the chocolate chips.

Milk - keeps the dough moist and adds color to cookie cake.

Chocolate Chips - I used normal sized semi-sweet chocolate chips but you could use milk or dark chocolate chips. Or, even chunks!

Buttercream Frosting Ingredient Notes

You can use store bought frosting BUT I love the taste of homemade. I frosted a variety of adorable pumpkins in different shades of oranges to convey the feelings of fall, pumpkin patches and of course pumpkin spice.

Butter - I used unsalted butter. It lets me control the amount of salt in frosting. Should be room temperature!

Cocoa Powder - can use whatever cocoa powder you like and have on hand! I use just a touch to get a deep brown color for the pumpkin stems.

Powdered Sugar - also known as confectioners sugar. Measured before sifting.

Vanilla Extract - extra flavor! Real pure vanilla extract for best flavor.

Heavy Cream - optional, use to thin on the frosting if too thick and give it a creamy frosting.

Food Coloring - I used food coloring in the colors orange, brown, yellow, red, green and brown. I recommend this Americolor Bundle of Gel Paste Colors. They are super saturated and only require a tiny amount to get great color.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Line and pre-heat: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. Use 4 pieces. 1 square for the bottom and then 3 rectangle pieces for the sides. Then "lock-in" the foil with the springform. Spray with non-stick spray. Use a neutral oil like regular Pam. Set aside.

2. Start the base: Cream together butter and shortening together with a stand mixer for roughly 1 minute. Next, add in brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat again for another 2-3 minutes. Scrap bowl the bowl as need.

3. Add in egg to the stand mixer. Beat it together until everything is combined for about 1-2 minutes. Then, add in vanilla and milk and beat again for another 1-2 minutes.

4. Dump in all the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until just combined (it's okay if there's are a couple of streaks of flour).

5. Set aside 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate chips but then add the rest of the chocolate chips to the dough. Gently fold into the cookie cake dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.

6. Then, press the dough into the prepared 9-inch springform pan. Gently press extra chocolate chips onto the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the edges turn a golden brown.

7. Then, cool: in the pan on a cooling rack until completely cooled. Carefully Remove: the springform pan, then the foil from the cookie cake. Place on serving plate or platter. Make sure all foil is remove from the bottom and sides of the cookie cake. Decorate as desired OR follow the instructions below for a pumpkin design.

Frosting + Decorations Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make frosting: by beating butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until creamed. Then, add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat on low speed for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium peed for another 30 seconds and them medium high for another 2 minutes until frosting is well combined and fluffy.

2. Divide and color frosting: I divided the frosting into small bowls. I put a little less than ⅓ cup for the different oranges. ~⅓ cup of buttercream with orange + yellow + brown, ~⅓ cup of buttercream with orange + red + brown, and ~⅓ cup of buttercream with orange + yellow. For brown frosting, I used about 2 tablespoons of buttercream with brown gel + a tiny bit of brown cocoa powder to get a rich brown color. Finally, about ¼ cup of buttercream with green + yellow food coloring for the grass and vines.

Note: I like to save a couple tablespoons of vanilla buttercream in case I run out of a color. Also, if you use a gel food coloring, always start with a small amount as they are saturated with color and its easy to use too much of a color.

3. Frost the grass: by add the green frosting to a piping bag fitted with an Ateco Decorating Tip 4 or another small round tip. Pipe around the edge of the cookie cake to create grass.

4. Frost the pumpkins: by adding the different orange frosting to piping bags. I used 2 1M Open Star Piping Tips and a Wilton No. 2A Round Decorating Tip. I piped pumpkins using at different sizes to create a colorful rustic feel. Remember that pumpkins come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and your frosting is no different!

5. Frost the pumpkin stems: I used an Ateco # 48 pastry tip for the brown frosting but you could us a small round tip. I use the smooth side of the #48 tip to create the stems.

6. Fill in the details: I combined all the leftover orange frosting to fill in any gaps and added green vines to the pumpkins

Expert Tips

Cool it completely! - Make sure to let the cookie cake cool completely before you frost it. It takes about 90 minutes - 2 hours roughly for my cookie cake to completely cool. But you can make this cookie cake the night before serving, let it cool completely overnight, and frost it the next day.

Properly Measure Flour - If you just dip your measuring cup into a bag of flour, chances are you have way too much flour due to packing. I keep a small digital scale to accurately measure flour BUT you can also use the spoon and level method too if you don't have a scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour within your flour bag or container. Then use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and finally use the straight edge of a knife to level the flour across the measuring cup.

Room Temp Ingredients are Key: a room temperature egg and butter form an emulsion and traps air and blend/combine together very easily since they are warmer creating a seamless dough. Cold ingredients don't incorporate together easily and can result in dense puffy baked good and also seize up the dough.

Warning! Weird Taste From Cooking Spray - I found that olive oil cookie sprays, can sometimes create a bitter taste in the cookie cake. I recommend using original pam or a neutral cooking stray.

Flatten the Edges - I sometimes find that the edges of the cookie cake are higher than the rest of the cake. After I take the cookie cake out of the oven, I carefully press down a spoon around the edges to create a flat surface. Which is ideal for frosting and is usually hidden from the frosting.

Frosting Tips! - Gel color can be incredibly concentrated. You only need just a little bit to get your desired color. Also, color develops after waiting some time so you can make and color the frosting as the cookie cake cools and that should be enough time to allow the colors to fully develop. Note, if you use TOO MUCH food coloring that can negatively effect the texture.

Recipe FAQ

Storage

 If your cookie cake is unfrosted, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature with a slice of bread for 2-3 days.

If your cookie cake is frosted and the frosting contains heavy cream, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge with a slice of bread for up to 2-3 days.

White bread is recommended as it has no additional flavor BUT I have done this with wheat bread, etc. in a pinch. It's a great way to use the heels of your bread. The cookie cake will absorb the moisture from the bread and keep it softer longer. If you feel the bread has become dry and hard after a day or so, replace it with a new piece of bread.

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