. Skip to main content

Cookie cake with secret filling


If you love chewy, gooey cookies with a rich caramel flavor, this recipe can quickly become your favorite. I use it for cookie cakes, cookie bars, or as classic chocolate chip cookies. With a little decoration (like frosting, sprinkles, or candies) it can even double as a birthday cake.

What makes this recipe special is simple : its rich caramel flavor and tenderness. Once baked, the cookies have a soft center with golden edges, and stay soft for a few days.

Some things to note : 

  • Brown sugar adds molasses flavor and moisture. This makes the cookies chewy, their toasty color and gives them a distinctive caramel taste.
  • Gentle mixing keeps cookies thick and tender. Overmixing builds gluten, which makes them spread (melt when baking) and hard.
  • Letting the dough rest overnight hydrates the flour, firms the butter, and develops richer flavors.

I’ve played around with fillings too, from chocolate hazelnut cream and marshmallows to pistachio cream or even speculoos spread with chocolate bars. The base recipe stays the same, and you get endless variations.
Here' the dough recipe :
100 g butter
60 g of brown sugar
80 g of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 egg
160 g flour + 50 g if necessary
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (you can mix milk and white / peanut butter / butterscotch)
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
6-8 marshmallows or chocolate caramel bars or cream filling (hazelnut or pistachio or almond cream).  

Method

  1. In a bowl, cream the butter with both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla.

  2. Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix only until combined.

  3. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts if using.

  4. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.

For classic cookies

  1. Scoop portions of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. I usually make 2-1/2 inch round disks about 1 inch thick.

  2. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 10–12 minutes. The centers should look/feel slightly soft.

    (You can also sandwich cookies by filling with chocolate hazelnut cream or a marshmallow inside) 

For a cookie cake

  1. A layer of cookie dough topped with some
    chocolate-covered marshmallow bears

    Spread half the dough into a 23 cm (9-inch) round, square, or rectangular pan.

  2. Press edges 1 cm higher than the center to hold the filling.

  3. Add your filling of choice: marshmallows, slices of candy bars, peanut butter cups, almond cream, speculoos spread, or a mix (I've tried them all, there are some great combinations I'll let you discover on your own)

  4. Top with the remaining dough.

  5. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 20–25 minutes until edges are golden and the center is set but soft.

Tips

  • Let the cake cool before cutting. Marshmallows are hot and gooey out of the oven, for the good of all mankind!

  • Try flavor twists: hazelnut cream with marshmallows (my boss once said I was asking for a raise with this one), pistachio cream with chocolate bits for a nutty and less sweet option (but color oh so surprising), or speculoos spread with sliced chocolate bars for a bold cinnamon mix.

Enjoy warm or cooled, with friends or as a treat for yourself !

A rectangular sheet cake filled with pistachio cream and marshmallows.
Side note : I didn't use dark brown sugar for this version, but a lighter sugar and the dough is lighter in color.

Some useful links for baking equipment or similar objects in photos :

9" springform pan

10" square springform pan

12 inch wooden cake stand

12 inch cake stand porcelaine

*This site contains ads and affiliate links*
See my Disclosure and Privacy statement to learn more




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fluffiest cinnamon rolls, with yogurt cream frosting

I must say this is the most wonderful cinnamon rolls dough I've discovered to date. Light, fluffy, delicious, what more could you ask for?  I filled half the dough with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, while the other half was filled with some homemade strawberry jam. Here is the recipe for the dough, inspired by Foodess.com, which has the best explanation for the dough, go to the website for more info.  I will always use this dough to make these buns from now on. 240 ml warm milk 2 large eggs 570 g all-purpose flour 100 g sugar 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 115 g unsalted butter (softened) Cinnamon filling 200 g brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 115 g softened butter 1/2 cup nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds...) Strawberry jam 12-15 strawberries 50 g sugar (or more if you like it sweeter) 1 tablespoon of cornstarch Cut strawberries in 1/4 or 1/8ths and simmer with the sugar until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add a spoonful of this in a cup with the ...
1 comment
Read more

Cotton sponge cake with strawberries and cream cheese frosting

My kids had a birthday to celebrate so I made the cakes and they decorated. I used to do this when my children were small, set up a table for them to decorate cookies or gingerbread houses, even had parties like this, and to this day, they like assembling treats and are good cooks. Here's the batter recipe I often use which you can find in my other recipes (mocha sponge, apple cider cake...) : Cotton sponge cake recipe : 4 eggs, separated 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar 1-1/4 cup (180 g) cake flour 3/4 cup (150 g) confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup cider (60 g) (French kind, or 4.5% alcohol) or beer or carbonated water 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream (or thick cream) 1/4 cup (60 g) milk (as needed) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 180° F / 350° C.  Line pan with parchment paper.  I used a 7" spring-form pan and a small fluted brioche mold. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add granulated sugar a little at a time and continue...
Post a Comment
Read more

Victoria Sponge cake revisited (gluten-free)

Here's a version of a Victoria sponge cake that kind of evolved on its own. This is a fairly straightforward layer cake. It involves 2 cake disks, buttercream and strawberry jam, decorated thereafter with some powdered sugar, or more cream and strawberries. I did, however, take liberties... Well, first of all, I didn't have any jam but I did have strawberries so made a quick jam by simmering about a dozen diced strawberries, a couple tablespoons of sugar and a star anise which I love adding lately to all jams (try it with fig jam, awesome combination).  But I digress... use some jam if you have some at home!  I also swirled one of the disks with raspberry reduction, mixed with a bit of the batter to add some color.  (Also, no need to do this except for a bit of fun or if you're always experimenting like me). Here's the rest of the recipe made with 2 eggs, a sign of the times : Batter: 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine 1 cup of sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup of milk or juice...
Post a Comment
Read more