Yield: 6″ easter cookie cake for two // Total Time: 1 hr. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
Easter Cookie Cake (for two)
Why you’ll love this Easter cookie cake for two
Cookies are great and all, but sometimes it’s good to spice them up by throwing some delicious cookie dough into a cake pan and topping it with buttercream and m&m’s. Here’s why I think and hope you’ll love this Easter cookie cake for two:
1. It’s super easy to make. The cookie comes together in one bowl with no mixer required, and the frosting comes together in another bowl.
2. It’s super soft & melts in your mouth. This giant cookie is *so* soft, all thanks to one secret ingredient..corn starch!
3. It’s festive! Who doesn’t love a good decorated cookie cake. This one’s loaded with some easter m&m’s, topped with a light blue colored buttercream and even more m&m’s.
Easter cookie cake..for two!
This recipe makes a 6″ cookie cake which is the perfect sized dessert for two. I love making small batch bakes because they are the perfect size myself and others who don’t have a lot of people to bake for in their home. Small batch helps cut down on waste and eliminates the feeling that all that excess dessert MUST be eaten. Here on my blog I like to post a mix of small batch and “regular batch” recipes from time to time. All my recipes can easily be doubled or tripled to fit your need, so long as you use grams to measure!
Recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
- Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Mix the dough carefully
- When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookie cake super tough and chewy.
Room temperature ingredients
- It is important for the butter to be at room temperature for the buttercream, just be sure to take it out before starting the cookie cake. You can also leave it on top of the oven as the cookie cake is baking, just keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t melt. If you need room temperature butter FAST, here’s what you can do: slice the butter into 1 tbsp. slices and place them flat on a plate. Microwave in 5-second intervals until the butter is soft to the touch, but not melting. Use as directed.
Under bake for the perfect cake
- Baked goods continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. The cake is done when the edges start to turn golden brown and the middle jiggles just a little bit. The cake will continue to bake even when you take it out of the oven, which will bring it to the perfect doneness and keep it nice and soft.
Ingredients and substitutions
For the m&m cookie cake:
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder & baking soda: for helping the cookie cake rise.
Corn starch: our secret ingredient to making the cookie cake super soft.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the dough.
Light brown sugar: for sweetness, flavor, and moisture.
Granulated sugar: for sweetness and to help lock in moisture in the dough.
Egg yolk: for binding and richness.
Milk: we will add just a little bit of milk to help bring back some of that moisture that was lost from browning the butter. You can use 1%, 2%, or your favorite non-dairy milk here!
Vanilla: for flavor.
Chocolate chips and m&m’s: Use easter m&m’s and your favorite chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet.)
For the buttercream:
Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream and all of it’s flavor. You can use salted butter in place of unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the buttercream.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness and flavor of the buttercream.
Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream.
Vanilla: for flavor.
Milk or cream: to help thin out the buttercream so it’s able to be piped.
Blue food dye: optional for dyeing the frosting to make a little more festive. Here is the exact color I used, which yields the most beautiful soft baby blue.
How to make an easter cookie cake for two
Here are the basic steps to follow to make this cookie cake. You can find the complete recipe at the end of this blog post!
1. Whisk the wet ingredients. Melt the butter, then whisk in both sugars. Whisk in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until the mixture is well combined.
2. Fold in the dry ingredients. Add in the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the ingredients together just until a few flour streaks remain. Then, add in the m&m’s and chocolate chips. Fold just until no flour streaks remain.
3. Bake. Pat the dough into a 6″ cake pan and top with additional m&m’s if desired. Bake at 350°F / 175°C for 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie cake are golden brown.
4. Make the buttercream. Beat together the butter and salt for 1 minute, until the butter is light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until all of it has been combined, then add in the cream, vanilla, and food dye and beat until combined.
5. Frost, serve, and enjoy! Once the cookie cake has cooled, frost it with the buttercream, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Small batch chocolate chip cookies Q & A
What size pan do I need?
I used a 6″ cake pan for this cookie cake. Here is the one I use!
Can I make this in a larger pan?
I have also tested this cake in a 9″ cake pan. Multiply the ingredients by 3 and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown. You will probably only need to double the buttercream ingredients unless you’d like to do a lot of frosting (no judgements here!)
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Definitely! Cookie dough only gets better with time. You can keep the cookie dough tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
How to store cookie cake
This cookie cake will taste the best on the day that it is baked, but will keep well for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
Did you make this Easter cookie cake for two?
If you made this Easter cookie cake for two I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Easter Cookie Cake for Two
Ingredients
M&M Cookie Cake
- 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
- 50 g light brown sugar (¼ c.)
- 25 g granulated sugar (2 tbsp.)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 70 g all purpose flour (½ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 40 g easter m&m's (~3 tbsp.)
- 35 g semi-sweet chocolate chips (~2 tbsp.)
Buttercream
- 70 g unsalted butter room temperature (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 120 g powdered sugar (1 c.)
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- ½ tbsp. milk
- 1-2 drops blue food dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Coat a 6" cake pan with butter and sugar.
M&M Cookie Cake
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in both sugars, followed by the egg yolk, vanilla, and milk.
- Add in the flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the dough until just a few flour streaks remain.
- Add in the m&m's and chocolate chips and fold the mixture together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour the dough into the 6" cake pan and top with additional m&m's if desired. Bake for ~20 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. The middle may slightly jiggle but that's okay – it will continue to cook even after it's taken out of the oven.
Buttercream
- Beat the butter and salt with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar, beat until smooth, then beat in the remaining half of powdered sugar.
- Add in the vanilla, milk, and a small drop of blue food dye. Beat until combined, and add more food dye as desired.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, remove it from the pan. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice. Frost the cake, serve, and enjoy!
