Description
Celebrate any special occasion with this delightful Heart Shaped Cookie Cake! Featuring a buttery, soft cookie base loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips, chunks, and colorful M&M’s, this treat is topped with a creamy pink buttercream frosting and decorated with festive heart sprinkles. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or just to share a sweet moment with loved ones.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Cake
- ¾ cups unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cups light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 1½ cups red and white M&M’s
- ½ cup pink and white heart sprinkles
Buttercream Frosting
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pink gel food coloring, amount as needed
- Pink and white heart sprinkles, for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9-inch heart-shaped baking pan with non-stick baking spray to ensure the cookie cake doesn’t stick.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a standing mixer bowl, beat the softened butter with light brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat until fully combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and kosher salt to ensure uniform distribution.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture while beating on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent a tough cookie.
- Add mix-ins: Gently fold the semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and red and white M&M’s into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Press into pan and decorate: Evenly press the cookie batter into the prepared heart-shaped pan. Sprinkle the surface with pink and white heart sprinkles for a festive look.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely: Remove the cookie cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. This is crucial before frosting to prevent melting.
- Prepare frosting: Using a clean mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract while beating until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add pink gel food coloring a little at a time until the desired shade of pink is achieved.
- Frost and decorate: Once the cookie cake is completely cooled, evenly spread the pink buttercream frosting over the top using a spatula. Finish by sprinkling additional pink and white heart sprinkles on top for a charming decoration.
Notes
- For best texture, do not overbake; the cookie cake should be slightly soft in the center when done.
- Make sure the cookie cake is fully cooled before frosting to avoid melting the buttercream.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- You can substitute semi-sweet chocolate with milk or dark chocolate chips based on preference.
- Heart-shaped pans can be substituted with round or square pans, just adjust baking time accordingly.
