Chewy Gluten-Free Cookie Cake

Step 1: Crush Half of the Chocolate Chips

By crushing half of the chocolate chips, you get the perfect combination of chocolate-in-every-bite and BIG chocolate chunks in your gluten-free cookie cake. Put ½ cup of the chocolate chips in a zip-top plastic bag, then use a rolling pin to smash them a bit. (Try not to completely pulverize them—you don’t want powdered chocolate chips here, just smaller pieces!)

Tip: You can use a mallet or meat tenderizer to crush the chocolate chips, but be careful when you pick the bag up afterwards because this method can make small holes in the plastic!

Step 2: Make the Dough

Warm the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan until it’s just melted. Combine the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir them together.

Next, stir in the egg, followed by the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add both of the flours and the chocolate chips, then stir the dough until well-combined.

Tip: With gluten-free flour, you don’t have to worry about over-mixing because there’s no gluten to make your baked goods tough. In fact, you should mix your dough a little bit more than you usually would, which helps the dough develop more structure.

Step 3: Press the Dough into the Pan

Gluten-free cookies have a tendency to stick more when baking, so you’ll need to grease your cookie cake pan well (make sure you get all the edges!) or line the bottom with parchment paper (still grease the edges). If you plan to invert the cake onto a tray, I highly recommend using parchment paper in order for the cookie cake to invert out of the pan easily.

Use a spoon or clean hands to drop small pieces of dough all over the pan. Then, use your hands or a spatula to press the dough down, forming your cookie cake.

Make sure the chocolate chips are evenly distributed—if there are two or more stuck together, pull them apart. Big clumps of chocolate chips are delicious, but they create weak spots in your cookie cake!

Tip: This is a "wet" sticky dough. If you're having trouble spreading it, grease your hands to help press the dough down.

Step 4: Bake

Place the cookie cake in an oven preheated to 350ºF and bake it for 12 to 14 minutes. It might look a little under-baked, but the residual heat from the pan will continue to bake the cookie even after you take it out of the oven.

Tip: It’s important to not over-bake a GF cookie cake! If it’s crispy instead of chewy, it won’t cut into nice, clean slices.

Step 5: Cool & Refrigerate

If you plan to invert & remove your cookie cake from the pan, it needs to be cooled completely and refrigerated before attempting this. Since this is a softer cookie, I personally prefer keeping it in the pan for serving. While you’re waiting for the cake to cool, you can make the buttercream.

To remove: When the gluten-free cookie cake is cool to the touch, place it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (this is necessary for sturdy slices!). After chilling, run a butterknife along the edges of the pan to help loosen it. Then, place a flat platter or cutting board on top of the pan and quickly flip it over to release the cookie cake. Put your serving platter over the cookie cake and flip it again. Now you're ready to decorate!

Step 6: Decorate

When it comes to decorating, you can use the vanilla buttercream recipe I share below, or you can use your favorite store-bought frosting in a can or tube. 

How to Decorate Cookie Cake

I used a piping bag and large star tip to create a simple vanilla buttercream border on my gluten-free cookie cake. You can scatter sprinkles over the border before it dries (see my sugar cookie cake for inspiration!), or keep it as-is.

If you’re making a gluten-free birthday cake, use the large number stencils linked in my Giant Birthday Cookie Cake post to pipe a number in the center.

More Decorating Ideas:

• Make a gluten-free cookie ice cream cake by baking the cookie in a springform pan (you’ll need to adjust the baking time by adding a few extra minutes), then top it with a layer of ice cream.
• Want a cookie cake that looks like it came from Mrs. Field’s or Great American Cookie? Skip having it shipped or delivered and use a variety of frosting colors to decorate it, or make vanilla buttercream and chocolate frosting and alternate them to create the border.
• If you’ve ever had brownie pizza before, you can do something similar with this gluten-free cookie cake recipe! Bake a brownie mix in the pan, invert it and then layer this baked cookie cake on top. (Who wouldn’t want a double layered pizza-style cake instead of a plain gluten-free birthday cake?! Gluten-free cookie pizza for the win!)

Tip: If you don’t have piping bags, a zip-top bag will work instead. Just snip off a corner and fit it with a piping tip.

Step 7: Cut and Serve

It's time to cut your gluten-free cookie cake and give it a try! (The worst part about baking is the waiting, right?!) Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice it into wedges or cut it into smaller squares if you’re serving a large crowd.

Tip: The appeal of a cookie cake is that it’s basically a handheld gluten-free dessert cake, but if you want a next-level treat, you can serve it on a plate with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce (or both!), and some mini chocolate chips scattered over the top. So good.