Celebrate a special occasion (or just a random happy afternoon!), with this yummy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe. It’s basically a giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that bakes up so easily in a cake pan.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Cake
There is nothing more fun to share with the kids as cookies…except for a giant cookie! And this cookie cake fills the bill and totally makes my kids light up with amazement when they see it come out of the oven.
It’s easier since you can bake all of the batter at once, rather than having to portion out into cookies, and once it’s cooled, it’s ready to serve simply by slicing it up.
We have so many memories of sharing this on days when the kids had snow days or we needed something to bake together.
(You may also like my easy Monster Cookies.)
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Healthy Cookie Cake
I love baking treats for my family, but I almost always find conventional recipes to be too sweet for my taste—and many recipes are easy to make with less sugar and still deliver great results.
In this cookie cake, I reduced the sugar, keeping just enough for the slightly crisp texture around the edges, and mixed some applesauce in with the butter.
(My husband approves of it, though, so you can be assured that it’s still plenty sweet!)
Ingredients You Need
To make this cookie cake recipe, you’ll need:
- Whole wheat flour: You can substitute a gluten-free cup-for-cup flour if needed.
- Rolled oats: These are sometimes called “old-fashioned.”
- Shredded unsweetened coconut: You can omit and use additional oats if you prefer.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter: Plan to let this sit at room temperature for a bit so it’s soft to the touch.
- Applesauce: I use smooth, unsweetened applesauce here.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Bark or semisweet chocolate chips: I use regular size chocolate chips here, but minis also work.
TIP: If you’re not a fan of coconut, you can use more oats in place of it.
How to Prepare the Pan When Making a Cookie Cake Recipe
Spray the bottom of the pan with nonstick spray and top with a piece of parchment paper, cut into a round to fit, on top. Spray again with nonstick spray.
This will ensure it doesn’t stick. (Honestly, you could probably just grease it and skip the paper, but I like to be extra sure!)
TIP: To cut out your parchment paper, place pan on top of a piece of parchment and trace with a pen or pencil. Cut out, slightly inside the lines to ensure it fits.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this cookie cake recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.
- Chop your chocolate. (This helps distribute the chocolate throughout the cake without having to use a ton of it.)
- Beat the butter, egg, and vanilla together.
- Beat in the sugar.
- Stir in the dry ingredients to form a thick, moist batter.
- Press into the prepared pan.
- Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges and on top, and set in the middle.
TIP: You can use mini chocolate chips instead of chopping the chocolate if you prefer.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Using a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the whole wheat flour works well and is an easy swap to make a gluten-free cookie cake.
Can I make this cake for a birthday?
Absolutely! It serves at least 8-10—or more if you slice the pieces smaller—and is really fun for the kids to eat.
Does it work to make this cake ahead of time?
Yes, with one caveat: On the day it’s baked, the edges of this cookie cake recipe are delightfully crisp. In following days, this softens.
You might not even miss the texture difference if you don’t know it was there since it otherwise tastes the same, but the crispness is very enjoyable should you have the option to serve it on the same day it’s baked (without storing it in a container first).
How to Store
The leftovers will be good for 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container. It will soften slightly, as I mentioned above, but otherwise holds up nicely.
Best Tips for Success
- This cake can be made up to 1 day ahead, though it is best on the day it’s baked—it softens slightly as it sits so you lose the slightly crunchy edges (but it’s otherwise great!). If making it ahead, let it cool fully on a wire rack after Step 6. Store in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten free cup-for-cup flour and certified gluten free rolled oats.
- If you don’t happen to have applesauce, you can use mashed banana instead.
- Chop the chocolate or use mini chips to evenly distribute throughout the cake—so you get some in each bite.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake (with Oatmeal)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons smooth applesauce
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan, line it with a round of parchment paper cut to fit, and grease again.
- Add the butter, applesauce, egg, and vanilla to a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about 1 minute.
- Add the sugars and beat on medium for an additional minute.
- Gently fold in the flour, oats, coconut, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.
- Gently press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and press with a spoon to even out to the edges.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and just set in the center.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a cutting board, slicing into wedges, and serving.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Video
Notes
- This cake can be made up to 1 day ahead, though it is best on the day that it’s baked—it softens as it sits so you lose the slightly crunchy edges (but it’s otherwise great!). If making it ahead, let it cool fully on a wire rack after Step 6. Store in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten free cup-for-cup flour and certified gluten free rolled oats.
- If you don’t happen to have applesauce, you can use mashed banana instead.
- Chop the chocolate or use mini chips to evenly distributed it throughout the cake—so you get some in each bite.
Nutrition
This post was first published February 2019.
Thank you so much! I am a person with rather low energy many times, as well as food aversion but this was so very quick and easy to make, plus your pictures of what everything would look like were very helpful.
I was looking for a quick and healthy recipe I could make for my brother’s birthday that would have the flavor of Oatmeal cookies which he loves and this totally hit the spot for him. He was exhausted after being out all day when he saw the cake but when he tasted it he was so happy and is looking forward to more đŸ˜€ I found it to be kind of smallish but as it was mostly for him anyway, it was perfect. Would this be a recipe that can easily be doubled in the same bowl or would 2 batches have to be made separately?
I made the sweet potato cake from here too before so so far you are 2 for 2 on the 5 star recipes!
Gratitude and well wishes
I’m so glad to hear this went well for you and your brother. I think it could be easily doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan if you wanted a larger one next time.
Could I replace the chocolate chips with raisins?
Sure!
Very good!
In case anyone is wondering, a thicker flax egg worked just fine.
This recipe was ridiculously easy! I almost didn’t have enough rolled oats and was about to use steel cut (probably not a good idea?) But just barely had enough. My 22mo old helped and I think she’s gonna enjoy eating it, too!
This sounds awesome. Do you think I could successfully make it in an 8in cake pan and just cook a bit longer?
Yes, you could do it at the same temp and bake for 22-24 minutes I think!
can I don’t use apple sauce?
If you wanted to not use the applesauce, I think you’d want to add another egg
What would be a substitute for coconut? Or would simply omitting it turn out okay?
I’d use additional oats instead of the coconut.
I made this and it turned out great! I didn’t have parchment paper but it still turned out fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe! It was sweeter and more chocolatey than I anticipated!!
I’m so glad to hear that Vanessa!
Can I use All Purpose Flour or Plain Flour instead of Wheat Flour?
Yes, totally!
Instead of whole wheat flour, would oat flour works as well?
Xan
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. A gluten free cup for cup flour would be a reliable option!