Description
Celebrate your sweet moments with this delightful Heart Shaped Cookie Cake recipe. It features a soft, chewy cookie base full of semi-sweet chocolate chips, chunks, and festive red and white M&Ms, all baked in a charming heart-shaped pan. Topped with a rich pink buttercream frosting and decorated with heart sprinkles and Valentine messages, this cookie cake is perfect for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or anniversaries.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Cake Ingredients:
- ¾ Cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ Cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ Cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ Cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- ½ Cup red and white M&Ms
- ½ Cup pink and white heart sprinkles
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 ½ Cups unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Pink gel food coloring, a few drops
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare your heart-shaped baking pan by spraying it with non-stick baking spray to ensure easy removal of the cookie cake.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a standing mixer, beat the softened butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture becomes smooth, fluffy, and well combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated and the batter is creamy.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and kosher salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and salt.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl while mixing slowly, just until the dough comes together without over-mixing.
- Fold in Chocolates and M&Ms: Using a wooden spoon, gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and red and white M&Ms to evenly distribute them into the dough.
- Shape the Cookie Cake: Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared heart-shaped pan, flattening the surface gently.
- Add Sprinkles: Sprinkle the pink and white heart sprinkles evenly over the top of the cookie dough.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Remove the cookie cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan before frosting to avoid melting the frosting.
- Make Frosting: In a standing mixer, beat together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and heavy whipping cream until smooth and stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes.
- Color Frosting: Add a few drops of pink gel food coloring and mix until the frosting reaches a rich, even pink hue.
- Prepare Piping Bag: Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip for decorative piping.
- Decorate: Pipe the frosting along the edge of the cooled cookie cake, then add more heart sprinkles for extra festive flair.
- Add Message: With a fine tip in your piping bag, write a personalized Valentine message or greeting in the center of the cookie cake using the frosting to complete your decoration.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on brands and ingredient amounts.
- Frosting yields a large batch; typically, only half is used to decorate the cookie cake. Nutrition facts are calculated for half the frosting batch.
- Gluten Free Option: Substitute regular all-purpose flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. Check other ingredients for gluten contamination if necessary.
- Ensure the cookie cake cools completely before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Use a heart-shaped pan to achieve the best presentation for this recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12th of cookie cake with frosting)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
