Chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla buttercream frosting

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible! 

Early summer is filled with celebrations--graduation parties, end of school year celebrations, Indy 500, etc. And I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with cookie cake. Cookie cakes are incredibly easy to make. In fact, they're easier to make than actual cookies. So under no circumstances should you actually buy a cookie cake when you can make one that tastes 100 times better.

My favorite recipe includes instant vanilla pudding powder. I have tried and tried to make cookie cake without pudding mix, and it is just not the same. The pudding mix makes helps the cookie cake retain moisture and makes it extremely soft and chewy. Also, I think the vanilla in the pudding gives the cookie a deeper flavor.

Cookie Cake FAQ

What type of pan do I use?

My preferred cookie cake pan is 12 inches in diameter. I actually like to use a deep-dish pizza pan. When I make a cookie this large, I do not remove it from the pan, primarily because I don't have a big enough serving dish to put it on. And I think it looks just fine. But if I make smaller 9-inch or 6-inch cookie cakes, I line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. Then once the cookies cool, I go around the edge with a butter knife to loosen it, and the cookie cake pops right out. Regardless of what size pan you use, the dough should be about 1/2-inch thick in the pan.

Why use melted butter?

The best part about cookie cakes is you don’t have to use a mixer for the dough. You can just melt the butter and stir everything together because we aren’t worried about individual cookies spreading too much. I always use Challenge unsalted butter. It melts really well, and I think it tastes better than other brands.

What type of chocolate chips?

I actually like to use a mini chocolate chips for a more even distribution of chocolate. Also, it makes it easier to cut into the cookie cake.

How do I decorate it?

I like to decorate the cookie cake with buttercream frosting. I included my frosting recipe in this post. You can color the frosting with food coloring or just leave it. I use a piping bag fitted with a star tip for the border, and I leave the center open to write a message. Writing with frosting takes a lot of practice, so don't get discouraged if you mess up. You can always scrape off the frosting and try it again. And always top it off with sprinkles!

Chocolate chip cookie cake with vanilla buttercream frosting

Yield: 1 (12-inch) cookie cake or 2 (9-inch) cookie cakes or 4 (6-inch) cookie cakes

Time: About 90 minutes

Ingredients

For the cookie cake

• 12 tablespoons (170 grams) Challenge unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar 
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (just the powder)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (168 grams)  mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the vanilla buttercream frosting

• 1 cup (226 grams) Challenge unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups (450 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) heavy cream

Directions

For the cookie cake

1. Move oven rack to lowest setting and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray pan or pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again.
2. In large bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, pudding mix, eggs and vanilla extract.
3. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. 
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Divide cookie dough evenly among pans and press down until evenly distributed. Dough should be about 1/2-inch thick.
6. Bake about 20 minutes for 12-inch and 9-inch cookies and about 15 minutes for 6-inch cookies. Edges should be golden brown and center should be just barely set.
7. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.
8. Once cool, use knife to loosen edges. Remove cookies from pans and transfer to serving dishes.

For the vanilla buttercream frosting

1. Beat butter on high speed for about 2 minutes or until light and creamy. Scrape down bowl with spatula.
2. With mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl after addition of every cup. 
3. Add vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined.
4. Mix in heavy cream 1 Tablespoon at a time until frosting is desired consistency for piping. Frosting should be medium stiffness. You should be able to pipe easily without putting too much pressure on bag.
5. Use food coloring to color frosting if desired.
6. Decorate cookie cake and serve.
7. Cover leftover cookie cake and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

 

Pesto goat cheese lasagna

 

Mother's Day is coming up, and I want you all to give it the proper amount of planning and attention it deserves. Also, you need to know, mom's don't want breakfast in bed. The idea of a sticky, crumby mess in my bed makes me squirm. Your mom would much prefer for you to make her dinner. And she doesn't want you to ask her what she wants. She wants you to just do it. And most importantly, she doesn't want to see a messy kitchen afterwards. The kitchen should be just as clean, nay cleaner than before you stepped foot into it.

So you're going to make her this pesto lasagna, and I'm going to make it as easy as possible for you. This lasagna has 3 parts: pesto meat sauce, cheese mixture, and noodles. You can definitely customize each of these components to a degree.

The pesto sauce: Instead of a tomato-based sauce, I used pesto. Like I said, I want this to be as easy as possible for you, so just buy pesto. Other than the pesto, it's a pretty standard meat sauce for lasagna. If you want a meatless lasagna, replace the sausage with sauteed asparagus and wilted spinach. You can make this a day in advance to make prep easier.

The cheese mixture: I'm going to throw you for a loop with the addition of goat cheese to the cheese mixture. Goat cheese adds subtle tanginess to lasagna that really makes it stand out. Also, it pairs really nicely with a little lemon zest to brighten the flavor. If that's too weird for you, just substitute cottage cheese.

The noodles: I am Team No-Boil Lasagna Noodles all the way! Not only does it eliminate a step, but they're also thinner than regular noodles so they better mimic the texture of fresh-made pasta. Just make sure all parts of the noodle is covered in sauce. Any part of the noodle that is left exposed won't get cooked.

Assembly is easy once the three parts are made. Always put a little sauce on the bottom so the bottom noodles don't burn and stick to the baking dish. Then your layering should look like this: Noodles, 1/3 pesto meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles, 1/3 pesto meat sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles, 1/3 pesto meat sauce, 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

To make things even easier, you can prep and refrigerate the entire unbaked pan of lasagna up to 3 days in advance. On baking day, move the pan of lasagna out to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

Pesto goat cheese lasagna

Yield: Makes about 12 servings

Time: About 90 minutes

Ingredients

For pesto meat sauce

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground sausage

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 12 ounces pesto

For cheese mixture

• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 10 ounces goat cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest


For assembly

• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (one 8-ounce package)
• 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

Directions

For pesto meat sauce

1. Place deep pan over medium heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, add sausage to pan. Break up sausage while cooking until only a little pink remains, about 4 minutes.
2. Turn heat to medium-low, add shallot and saute for several minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.
3. Add wine and stir for about 2 minutes until wine nearly evaporates.
4. Stir pesto into sauce ingredients and remove from heat.

For cheese mixture

1. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, goat cheese, lemon zest, and egg.

For assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Spread 1/4 cup pesto sauce (just enough to cover bottom) on bottom of 9x13-inch casserole dish.
3. Add 4 noodles to bottom of dish. Spread on 1/3 of meat sauce. Spoon on and spread top with 1/2 of cheese mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella on top. 
4. Add 4 noodles on top of cheese. Spread on 1/2 of remaining meat sauce. Spoon on and spread top with rest of cheese mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella on top. 
5. Add 4 noodles on top of cheese. Spread on remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle on remaining mozzarella.
6. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Remove foil and broil 2 minutes, or until cheese turns golden. Rest 30 minutes before cutting.