There are two types of people in this world: People who love cookies, and people who love cake. (Yes, you can be both, and we respect that v much.) If you're hosting a party—or are in charge of bringing the dessert—you should aim to cater to both of these groups. And we know exactly how to do so...with a cookie cake.
Lucky for you (and us, tbh), Christina Tosi, the founder of Milk Bar and the author of the new book All About Cookies, decided to let us in on her best cookie cake recipe. And like, she OBVIOUSLY knows what she's doing. (If you've ever been in a Milk Bar...you know.) Read on for easy instructions on how to make the corn cookie cake you see above, starting with the steps to make the dough and then the steps to actually assemble the ooey-gooey cake (pro tip: the more mixins, the better). Bake one for your next soirée and have mall-food-court cookie cakes across the country quaking in your wake.
Milk Bar Cookie Cake
Makes one 8-inch cookie cake
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
¾ cup flour
½ cup corn powder
3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons corn flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
? teaspoon baking soda
Steps to Make the Corn Cookie Dough Base
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high for 7 minutes. (No stand mixer? Elbow grease and a spoon work just fine.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg and mix until smooth, about 1 minute.
Add the flour, corn powder, corn flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and paddle on low speed just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. This dough is now ready to be made into a cookie cake!
Steps to Build the Cookie Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch cake ring or springform mold and place it on top of a sprayed half-sheet pan.
Prepare your cookie dough base. (We’re going with the corn cake because yum, but Christina’s new cookbook has more sweet flavor options.)
Choose 1 to 3 mix-ins (look to your left) and add ¼ cup of each to the bowl of dough. Mix on low for 45 seconds, until evenly distributed.
Flatten out the cookie dough into the ring evenly, making sure there are no divots and the mix-ins are visible throughout.
Sprinkle additional mix-ins along the outer ¼ inch of the dough’s edge, just inside the ring.
Bake until the cookie is caramelized, the outer edges are set, and the center has color and is barely glossy, 20 to 22 minutes.
Let it cool completely before unmolding. Serve whole or slice into 8 wedges.
Hannah Chubb, Rachel Sylvester and Andrea Zendejas