Chocolate, Chocolate Cookie Cake

If you don't have the time or inclination to bake and decorate a cake, here's a simple and delicious alternative for your next celebration that's always a hit for 'kids' of all ages! 

• 1/2 cup  butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (use white chocolate, dark chocolate or milk chocolate)

1. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.
2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Line two nine inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
5. Divide dough in half, and spread each half evenly in a lined cake pan, leaving a small gap around the edge of the pan
6. Bake cookies on center rack at 350°F for about 15 minutes..or until set.
7. Cool completely before removing from pan.
8. Now your cookie-cake is a blank canvas waiting to be written on.  Melt white chocolate,  put into a Zip-loc bag, snip one corner and write a message to the happy recipient. Or mix up a batch of butter-cream frosting, use a pastry bag and decorate. 

* I usually double the recipe and make large cookies with the remaining dough.  These can also be personalized and used as party favours. If you have another cookie recipe that you prefer, most cookie doughs will make up nicely into a 'cake'...keeping in mind that each 9" cookie-cake uses about 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup flour.

Place on serving platter...

and enjoy!