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Can’t decide between cookies and brownies? With this Brookie Cookie Cake, you don’t have to. Chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter are baked side-by-side in a cake pan and topped with a luscious chocolate buttercream. The best of both worlds!
This brookie cookie cake is the ultimate dessert for anyone who’s got an equal love for both cookies and brownies. Whether you’re in the mood for a soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie, a rich, fudgy brownie, or a little bit of both, this cake has you covered. I’m a little bit obsessed, honestly.
A traditional Brookie layers chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter together, but I went in a slightly different direction here. Instead, I opted to bake the cookie dough and brownie batter side-by-side in one pan so they come together in the middle in a magnificent juxtaposition of flavors and textures. The cookie side is tender, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chips, while the brownie side is moist, fudgy, and everything you could ask for from your favorite chocolate treat. The combination is pure magic, and the creamy, fluffy chocolate buttercream on top ties everything together beautifully. How could you say no to that!?
Brownie? Cookie? Yes. And It’s All in One Cake.
This double-whammy dessert is about to rock your world! Let me tell you why:
- Best of two worlds. Half chocolate chip cookie, half brownie, it’s the best of both worlds in every bite. That said, if you’re a cookie (or brownie) purist, you can just indulge in that side of the cake! It’s a win any way you slice it (literally).
- Great texture. The soft, chewy cookie meets the rich, fudgy brownie in a heavenly combination of textures. And don’t even get me started on the creamy, fluffy buttercream!
- Surprisingly easy. Sure, you need to spend a few minutes with the mixer for the cookie dough, but the rest is a piece of cake! You don’t even need a mixer for the brownie batter.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this brookie cookie cake. You might already have many/most of the ingredients on hand! Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Cookie Cake
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure this correctly, so you don’t have a dry cookie. I always recommend a food scale, but the spoon and level method will also work.
- Baking soda – To help the cookie dough rise, brown and have the ideal texture.
- Salt – Salt keeps your desserts from being bland. Don’t leave it out.
- Unsalted butter – You could use salted butter, but would want to leave out the added salt.
- Sugar – I used a mixture of packed light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Egg – Large in size.
- Vanilla extract
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – You could use milk or dark chocolate chips here too.
Brownie
- All-purpose flour – As mentioned above, be sure to measure properly to avoid a dry brownie.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder – For the perfect rise. Note that I used baking powder in the brownie batter and baking soda in the cookie dough. Don’t mix them up! It doesn’t turn out well.
- Salt – To bring out the flavors naturally present.
- Vegetable oil – Using oil (as opposed to butter) in the brownie batter makes the brownies SO moist.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is my favorite here, but you could use light brown sugar for a richer, more molasses-y flavor.
- Vanilla extract
- Egg – Pick a large egg, ideally at room temperature, for easier mixing.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Unsalted butter – The butter needs to be at room temperature. If it’s too cold, your buttercream will come out lumpy. If it’s melty, you’ll find yourself with a runny frosting.
- Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar adds sweetness and structure to the frosting. Other sugars won’t work the same way.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy whipping cream – You could use regular milk, but you’d want to use less.
How to Make a Brookie Cookie Cake
It’s time to start baking! Here’s a quick overview of how to make this brookie cake. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
Make the cookie half
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F, line the bottom of a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper, and grease the sides.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Make the brownie half
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs.
- Put it all together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Assemble and bake. Spread the brownie batter into the other side of the pan and bake for 18-24 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cookie cake to cool completely IN the pan before transferring it to a serving platter.
Decorate
- Make the buttercream – Beat the butter until smooth and then mix in half of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder, followed by the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of cream. Mix in the remaining powdered sugar.
- Decorate. Add the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe the frosting around the outer edge of the cake.
Tips for Success
- Measure with care. For the flour in both the cookie dough and the brownie batter, use a food scale or the spoon and level method. Too much flour will result in a dry, cakey cookie cake, while too little will produce overly dense, sunken results.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cookie dough and the brownie batter, mix just until everything is incorporated. Mixing past this point can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, resulting in a tough, over-dense brookie cake.
- Don’t over-bake. Ovens can be finicky, so keep an eye on this brookie cake so as not to over-bake it. When a toothpick inserted into the brownie side comes out nearly clean, and the cookie side is a little golden on top, you’ll know it’s done.
- Prevent burning. If the cookie side starts to brown too much before everything is cooked through, cover it loosely with foil.
- Cool completely. Allow the dessert to cool FULLY in the pan before you remove it; otherwise, it won’t hold together well.
- Frosting consistency. If the buttercream is too thick, mix in some extra heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Check out my post on How to Get the Right Frosting Consistency for more information.
- Chocolate chips. If you’d like to add chocolate chips to the brownie side, you can. Just fold about 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the batter and reduce the flour to 6 tablespoons (so the brownie side doesn’t turn out thicker than the cookie side).
How to Store
- Counter. Seal the cookie cake in an airtight cake carrier or cover it with a double layer of plastic wrap (you can use toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the buttercream). Otherwise, arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. This scrumptious dessert will stay good at room temperature for up to 48 hours. After that, the buttercream needs to be refrigerated.
- Freezer. Pop the cookie cake in the freezer for a couple hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Otherwise, arrange slices in a single layer in a freezer-safe airtight container. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the dessert to thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Brookie-Inspired Desserts
Watch How To Make It
Recipe
Brookie Cake
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
Yield: 10-12 slices
Category: Cakes & Cupcakes
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Description
You never have to decide between cookies and brownies again! In this Brookie Cookie Cake, chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter are baked side-by-side and topped with chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
Cookie Cake
- 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (56g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (26g) sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten, cut in half (about 2 tbsp of egg)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (106g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Brownie
- 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 1/4 cup (29g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (90ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (155g) sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (29g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make the cookie half
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Prepare a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper in the bottom and baking spray on the sides. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to make sure it’s all incorporated. You should be able to see the change in color and texture and know it’s ready. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until the dough is just well combined. Do not over mix. Once it’s well combined, use a rubber spatula to help it come together to form a more cohesive ball.
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Press the cookie dough evenly into one half of the prepared cake pan. Set aside.
Make the brownie half
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the oil, sugar and vanilla extract to large mixing bowl and mix together until well combined.
- Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, but don’t over mix.
- Add the brownie batter to the other side of the pan, next to the cookie side, and spread evenly. Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until the top of the cookie is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the brownie comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If it starts to brown too much, loosely cover with foil. Don’t over bake. It may seem a little underdone when it first comes out of the oven, but it will firm up as it cools.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan to make it easier to remove from the pan later. If you want to speed up the cooling, you can put it I the fridge for a bit.
Decorate
- Once fully cooled, flip the cake out onto a flat plate, cardboard circle or your hand (which is what I do) and then flip it back over onto the serving plate/platter.
- To make the buttercream, add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoons of cream and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add additional heavy cream, as needed, to get the right buttercream consistency.
- Add the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip. I used Ateco 847. Pipe the buttercream around the outer edge of the cake, or decorate as desired. Serve.
- Store in an airtight container. It can be kept at room temperature for up to 48 hours, then the buttercream should be refrigerated. Best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
- 9-inch pan: If you’d like to use a smaller 9-inch pan, bake it 24-30 minutes. Keep in mind the cake will be thicker.
- Chocolate chips: If you’d like to add chocolate chips to your brownie side, you can. I’d recommend 1/2 cup (85g) of chocolate chips. To keep the brownie layer from getting too much thicker than the cookie side, I also reduced the flour to 6 tablespoons (49g).
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 446
- Sugar: 43.8 g
- Sodium: 141.9 mg
- Fat: 24.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 56.9 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 67.3 mg