It’s my birthday! Growing up I always wanted a cookie cake from the Great American Cookie Company. I remember asking my mom for money whenever we were at the mall so I could buy one of those double-doozy sandwich cookies. The combination of that sweet frosting and a giant chocolate chip cookie felt like a little slice of heaven. Over the years I’ve enjoyed many kinds of cookie cakes—homemade, giant, even single-serve—but until now I’d never tried a gluten free cookie cake.
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Ingredients
Butter – Butter is the key to a chewy, flavorful cookie cake. I often bake with Miyoko’s Creamery vegan butter because it closely resembles dairy butter in taste and texture. If you need a nut-free option or prefer dairy, use your favorite butter—dairy or plant-based—in the same amount.
Sugars – This recipe uses both brown and white sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture, depth of flavor and extra chew—especially helpful when baking gluten free—while white sugar balances sweetness and helps texture.
Vanilla – Use a quality vanilla extract rather than imitation flavoring. It makes a noticeable difference in the final flavor.
Egg – One large egg helps bind the dough. I haven’t fully tested egg substitutes here, but a flax egg or a commercial egg replacer will likely work.
Gluten Free Flour – I test this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and find it produces consistent results. You can use another gluten free blend, but results may vary. This recipe is not designed for regular wheat flour.
Salt – A pinch of salt brightens the sweetness and balances flavor.
Baking Soda – Rather than baking powder, this recipe uses baking soda to keep the cake dense and chewy, similar to mall cookie cakes. It also promotes browning on top.
Chocolate Chips – I used Enjoy Life mini semi-sweet chips because they’re gluten free and dairy free. Mini chips distribute more evenly and make slicing easier, but use whatever chips you prefer.
Instructions
A gluten free cookie cake is easy to make—think of it as chocolate chip cookie dough pressed into a pan and baked as one large cookie.
Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl until smooth.
Add the egg and vanilla to the sugar mixture and whisk until fully combined.
Fold in the gluten free flour, baking soda and salt, then stir in the chocolate chips until everything is evenly distributed.
Pour the cookie dough into a 10-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper.
Use a spatula to smooth the dough into an even layer so the cake bakes uniformly.
Bake as directed below until the edges are set and the top is golden.
How to decorate this gluten free cookie cake
The frosting recipe provided produces a classic white frosting similar to the Great American Cookie Company’s icing. It pairs perfectly with a chocolate chip cookie base. You can pipe a birthday message, but I like to pipe decorative borders around the edge so every slice gets a bit of icing.
For extra festivity, sprinkle gluten free sprinkles across the top before the icing sets.
What kind of pan do you use for a cookie cake?
A 9- or 10-inch springform pan works well for this recipe and makes removing the cake easy. If you don’t have a springform pan, a regular cake pan will work, but the cake will be thicker and might be harder to remove cleanly.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
You can prepare the dough the day before: press it into the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. For longer storage, fully bake and cool the cake, then wrap it well and freeze for up to a month. Thaw to room temperature before decorating and serving.
Storage
This cookie cake keeps well for 2–3 days at room temperature when the icing is made with shortening, which helps it stay stable. If you use butter-based frosting, store the cake in the refrigerator for best results.
Check out these other recipes for amazing chocolate chip cookies:
Gluten Free Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies
(Small Batch) Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Small Batch) Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Please tag me @wellfedbaker on Instagram if you make this recipe—I’d love to see your creations! Happy baking!
Recipe
Gluten Free Cookie Cake (Great American Copycat)
Ingredients
For the cake
- ¾ cup vegan butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cup gluten free 1-to-1 flour blend
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
For the icing
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until combined.
- Add vanilla and egg; whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in salt and baking soda just briefly. Add the flour and fold about five times with a spatula until mostly combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then switch the oven to broil and broil an additional 2 minutes to brown the top. Watch closely to avoid burning.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the icing
- Beat the shortening and vanilla until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, then add the milk one tablespoon at a time. Once incorporated, beat on high for about 3 minutes until light and pipeable.
- Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with your preferred tip and decorate the cooled cookie cake as desired.
Mention @wellfedbaker or tag #wellfedbaker!