This Christmas cookie cake has a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie base, is topped off with a green buttercream wreath, and makes for a great last-minute Christmas dessert. You can make it traditionally with regular flour and dairy, or you can make it gluten-free and dairy-free. A vegan version is also possible!
I had several people tell me that they made and loved my Halloween Cookie Cake. They ran out of time to make something more complex and made it as a last-minute Halloween treat (without the ghosts, as those are definitely not a last-minute kind of thing!).
So I thought it’d be nice to share a Christmas version of that cookie cake for anyone who wants something festive but doesn’t have time for a more elaborate dessert.
It’s the exact recipe as the Halloween cookie cake, but with a different decoration. So no need to read this post if you’ve already read that one.
- This Christmas cookie cake is incredibly quick and easy to make, making it perfect for last-minute holiday baking.
- It’s easy to decorate, even for beginners — the buttercream wreath is super forgiving.
- You can make it gluten-free, dairy-free or even vegan with simple substitutions.
- It travels well and is great for gifting or bringing to holiday parties.
- Kids can help decorate, making it a fun family-friendly Christmas project.
Ingredients
The full recipe, including measurements and directions, is at the bottom of this post.
- Unsalted butter – you can also use vegan butter or coconut oil. If using coconut oil, I recommend refined coconut oil so there’s no coconut flavor.
- Brown sugar – coconut sugar can also be used, but the cookie cake will be a little more crumbly.
- Granulated sugar – same as above.
- Egg – a chia egg works well here. I haven’t tried other egg subs in this recipe, but I’m guessing they’d probably work.
- Flour – you can use all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour or a gluten-free 1:1 blend. I talk more about this below.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks – you can use milk or dark chocolate if you prefer. I think semi-sweet has just the right amount of sweetness, though.
- Powdered sugar – used for the buttercream. There’s no sub for this.
- Green food coloring – the photographer used Wilton, but I used natural food coloring, and it still came out pretty. More on this below.
- Vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt
The base
I used a half batch of my Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, which was adapted quite heavily from this great Epicurious recipe. I baked the halved recipe in an 8″ (23 cm) springform pan, but a regular 8″ cake pan lined with parchment paper would also work.
If you want to make the full recipe, then you’ll need to use two 8″ springform pans. Or something with a similar surface area.
A 9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) pan has a surface area of 117 in² (759 cm²). The total surface area of two 8″ circular pans is 100 in² (648 cm²). So your cookie cake would be a little thinner in a 9″ x 13″ than if made in two 8″ springform pans.
The buttercream
To make the wreath, I used buttercream. Before I posted the Halloween cookie cake, I’d never used buttercream in any recipe that I’ve posted because I am very much a cream cheese frosting person.
I just don’t have any interest in cake with buttercream. Except for this cookie cake!
The first time I made this cookie cake, I used my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe that I almost always use for all my cakes and cupcakes.
But the end result was strange. Everyone else uses buttercream on chocolate chip cookie cakes. And there’s a reason for it.
It really is the best choice for a cookie cake. You just use a tiny bit, so it doesn’t make the cookie cake overwhelmingly sweet.
Decoration
When you’re ready to decorate, pipe the buttercream around the edge of the cookie cake to form a wreath. I used Wilton Tip 32, but any star tip will work beautifully.
Scatter red mini M&Ms or cinnamon candies across the wreath to mimic holly berries. If you prefer a more subtle look, limit the candies to clusters of three spaced evenly around the wreath.
The result is a vibrant, festive design that’s perfect for the Christmas season!
For the coloring, the photographer used Kelly Green Gel Food Coloring and cinnamon candies. She also tested it mini red M&Ms (which make more sense flavor-wise), but we went with the cinnamon candies because they look much cheerier.
Natural food coloring
Supernatural Kitchen has a red and green set that’d be perfect for this! I haven’t tried it because I don’t have access to their products anymore here in Germany. I bought about 10 multipacks a year or so ago, and everything comes out looking great.
How to make it
Again, these pictures are just here to give you an overview. The full recipe is below!
A springform pan makes it much easier to remove the cookie cake without breaking it. If you don’t have one, make sure to line your regular 8″ (23 cm) cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
And then it needs to totally cool, or preferably be chilled, before removing it from the pan.
The cookie cake should be golden brown on the edges but slightly soft in the center. It’ll continue to cook a bit as it cools, giving you the perfect texture.
The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.
On the countertop, the unfrosted baked cookie cake will last up to 3 days in an airtight container. But it’s freshest on the day of baking.
The buttercream can also be made 3 days in advance. It’ll harden slightly in the fridge. Just let it come to room temp, and it’ll be easier to pipe.
You can freeze the cookie cake with or without the buttercream wreath. But without the candies! Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, and it’ll last up to 3 months.
If you’re gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute for the all-purpose flour. Also, make sure that your candies are gluten-free.
For the flour, King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour gave me the best results. My taste testers didn’t even realize the cookie cake was gluten-free.
I also tried Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour in place of the all-purpose flour. The result is a bit sandy but still delicious.
Whatever you use must be a direct sub for all-purpose flour. This means NO coconut flour, almond flour, oat flour, etc. I’m bolding it now because people are still using coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour in my recipes, although I specifically say not to use it in the post.
If you’d like a different base, I’ve got these options:
Coconut Flour Cookies
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
There’s no way to make the buttercream or candies paleo, though. You’d have to find an already paleo buttercream recipe and find compliant candies. It’s probably easier to just set aside a small bit of buttercream, use natural food coloring to make it red, and pipe the decorations on with that.
If you’re vegan, you need to make several subs, but I knew someone was going to ask, so I gave it a try. It worked great!
For dairy-free – use refined coconut oil or vegan butter in the cookie dough and vegan butter for the buttercream. Also, use dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips and plant-based milk for the buttercream. Make sure to check the ingredients of your candies.
For vegan – do the above and also use a chia egg. Make sure your candies are vegan or do as I mentioned above with piping on red decorations.
More Easy Christmas Desserts
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Christmas Cookie Cake
Servings 16 slices
This Christmas cookie cake is soft, chewy, and topped with a festive green buttercream wreath. It’s quick to make, great for last-minute holiday gatherings, and can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, or even vegan. A fun, easy Christmas dessert that looks impressive but requires minimal effort.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Make the cookie cake:
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Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) line the bottom of an 8” (23 cm) springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
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In a large mixing bowl with a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Sprinkle the baking soda and salt on top, beat until combined, and then add in the flour on low speed.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) flour
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Stir in the chocolate chips until combined.
1 3/4 cups (298 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
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Press into the prepared springform pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned. The center should have firmed up and not appear wet at all. If you were to dig in right now, it would be gooey.
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Let cool completely, about 2 hours, before frosting.
Make the buttercream:
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Place all of the buttercream ingredients, except the food coloring, in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, start by beating on low speed until the ingredients are well combined. Then increase to high speed and continue mixing until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar, pinch of salt
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Gradually beat in the food coloring until you like the color. How much you’ll need will vary wildly depending on what brand/type you use.
green food coloring
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Pipe green swirls with Wilton tip 22 around the border of the cake to create a wreath.
mini cinnamon candies or mini red M&Ms
Make ahead and how to store/freeze:
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The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. On the countertop, the baked cookie cake will last up to 3 days in an airtight container. But it’s freshest on the day of baking. The buttercream can also be made 3 days in advance, as well. It’ll harden a bit in the fridge. Just let it come to room temp, and it’ll be easier to pipe. If freezing, wrap the cookie cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, and it’ll last up to 3 months.
- For the flour, you can use all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour. If you’re gluten-free, King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour gave me the best results. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour also worked, but the cake was a bit sandy.
- The photographer used Wilton Kelly Green Gel Food Coloring. For a natural option, try Supernatural Kitchen. Please don’t use the runny liquid kind of food coloring, which would likely make the frosting runny.
- Base heavily adapted from this Epicurious recipe.
- Nutritional information calculated based on a yield of 16 slices, and does not include the red candies.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
Calories: 306.2kcalCarbohydrates: 36.7gProtein: 2.9gFat: 16.6gSaturated Fat: 9.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 34.4mgSodium: 116.7mgPotassium: 142mgFiber: 1.9gSugar: 24.5gVitamin A: 292.1IUCalcium: 25.1mgIron: 1.9mgNet Carbs: 35
