Easy Halloween Pumpkin Cookie Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Chop ½ cup of the chocolate chips. The goal here is to have a mixture of tiny chocolate flakes throughout the dough, while still have the whole chunks in there for texture. Set aside.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt unsalted butter (½ cup, 1 stick/) for 20-30 seconds until JUST melted. 
• Add in granulated sugar (¼ cup) and light brown sugar (½ cup) and use a spatula to stir until combined (* do not use a mixer!). Add in egg (1 large) and vanilla extract (1 ½ teaspoon), then mix.
• Add in baking soda (½ teaspoon), baking powder (¼ teaspoon), and salt (¼ teaspoon) and mix until just combined. Add in flour (1 ½ cups) and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough.
• Add the chopped chocolate chips (½ cup) from earlier and whole chocolate chips (½ cup) into the dough and mix. Immediately proceed to pressing into pan (you don't want the dough sitting out or it will set too much with the melted butter).
• Grease a 11.5" metal cookie cake pan (don't have one? See notes below.) Although this cookie removes cleanly, if you are worried about it sticking, line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper first. Using a spoon or your clean hands, drop the dough into small chunks in the pan. This will help disperse everything so that you can easily smooth it out. Once all dough as been added, use a spatula or your hands to press down the dough into a smooth layer (being sure to get all the corners).

  Tip: If you notice 2-3 chocolate chips are stuck together, separate them before baking. This will allow the chocolate to be evenly dispersed and prevent the cookie from having a giant clump of chocolate in one spot (which could cause it to more easily break while cutting).
• Bake at 350°F degrees for 12-14 minutes - do NOT overbake or your chocolate chip cookie cake will not be soft. You want the cookie cake to be slightly brown on the top and look slightly underbaked (my oven was perfect at 12 minutes). Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack. Allow the cookie cake to cool completely before removing.

  Tip: To remove from pan, use a knife to go around the edges, place a flat platter on top, then flip over the pan to remove. If you used parchment paper, this should come out rather smoothly. After flipping over the cookie cake, flip it over again on the final decorate plate or platter (I LOVE these cute paper trays and the largest one in the pack is perfect for a 10" cookie cake).
• Once the cookie cake has cooled, spread the orange frosting (instructions below) over the top.
• Follow the photos above to decorate the jack-o-lantern cookie cake design.

To Make Frosting:

• Beat softened unsalted butter (½ cup) on medium-high speed for 2-minutes until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed then add the powdered sugar (1 ½ cups) slowly. You may need to stop and scrape down sides.

  Add vanilla extract (1 ½ teaspoons) and salt (pinch) and turn mixer to medium speed. One tablespoon at a time, add milk (2-4 tablespoons, as needed).

  Add food coloring (10 drops of Wilton Orange Gel), and combine. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes until creamy and the frosting is at a good consistency to pipe. If it looks too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it looks too stiff, add a tiny bit of milk until you get to the desired consistency.

  This will make just enough frosting to cover the top of the cookie cake or 1 ¾ cups frosting.