This recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake comes to us from Cooks.com. Judging from the reviews, we’re surprised the cake ever makes it out of the kitchen for guests. You’ll need:

• ½ cup butter

• ¼ brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 cup flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon salt

• Chocolate chips

• ½ chopped nuts (optional)

Prepare by preheating your oven to 375° and greasing an 8 or 9 inch round pizza pan or cookie sheet.

To make, cream the butter, brown and white sugars, vanilla, and egg together with a spoon. When this is creamy, add your dry ingredients. Blend this thoroughly to mix in the dry ingredients, and then add the chocolate chips and nuts, if you choose.

Spread the cookie dough onto your greased pan and bake for 10 minutes. Take it out, let it cool, and be prepared to receive compliments.

For an extra touch, place mini Hershey’s Kisses on top of the cookie cake (or chocolate chunks) and drizzle with chocolate or shape it like a heart for a Valentine's day cookie gift. At a bakery, this would cost over $40. You can make it at home for the same price as a batch of cookies.

When you are at a loss at what to prepare for a dinner party or gathering, you must ask yourself, “What would Martha do?” Martha would whip up a five layer cookie cake for 16 people, is what she would do. In fact, she has, and this recipe comes from Martha Stewart herself. It is a little more involved than the previous recipe, but it will not fail to impress.

You will need:

• 4 cups flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• 6 tablespoons of butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs, and 2 egg yolks

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 3 cups chocolate chips (Martha says semi-sweet)

• 5 – yes 5 – packages of cream cheese, room temperature

• ½ confectioner’s sugar

Prepare by preheating your oven to 350°. Next, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, or a mixer, mix butter and brown and granulated sugars. When this is pale and “fluffy,” mix in the vanilla, eggs, and yolks. Continue mixing. Add half the flour, and then half the cream. Mix, and then add the other half of the flour and the other half of the cream. Stir in the chocolate chips.

You are making 5 layers for the cake. You want one level cup of dough for each layer. Drop it onto a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Put the other dough in the refrigerator while you’re working to keep it cool. Spread the dough into an 8 inch circle on the baking sheet (Martha actually traces an 8 inch circle onto the paper; you don’t have to, but you do want your layers to be as close to even as possible).

Bake this until the edges are pale golden, which takes about 12 minutes. Take it out and reshape your circle with a spatula. Put it back in the oven for another 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat this for the other layers. If you have oven space and cookie sheets, you can do more than one of these cookie layers at a time.

As they’re cooling, mix the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar until fluffy. Spread this mixture onto four of the cookies. Stack them, with the unfrosted cookie on top. Put the cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets. This takes at least 20 minutes.

It is more work, but the results are fantastic.

Whether you use a recipe that is simple or one that is more elaborate, you cannot go wrong with cookie cake made from your own cookie dough.

Filling and cake:

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (18.25-ounce) package plain yellow cake mix
1 (3.4-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil, such as canola oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degF then grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. Sprinkle the pecans or walnuts in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Mix the filling in a small bowl by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon then stirring until combined. Set aside.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, 3/4 cup water, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl blending with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute and then medium speed for 2 additional minutes scraping down the sides as needed. Batter should be smooth and thick.

Pour a third of the batter into the prepared pan on top of the pecans. Evenly sprinkle half the prepared filling over the batter. Add another 1/3 of the batter over the top of the filling. Sprinkle the remaining filling over the batter and then pour the remaining batter on top. Be sure to even out each layer as you add them.

Place the cake on the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake cake 50 to 60 minutes or until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes in the pan. Then run a knife along the edge and invert the cake onto the cooling rack. Cool entirely (about 30 more minutes).

While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. Combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl and beat either with a mixer or vigorously with a spoon until smooth. Place the cooled cake on a serving platter and spoonglaze over the top so that it drizzles down sides and into center of cake. Slice and serve.

Next time, mix it up and try this recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Loaf!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
8 oz sour cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine the butter and sugar creaming until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and sour cream mixing well.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Add to the creamed butter mixture and mix well.

3. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13" x 9" pan.

4. Combine the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon mixing well. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

5. Cover the pan with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

6. Uncover and bake at 350 degF for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool slightly.

Glaze
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of water
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Beat ingredients together with an electric mixture until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. Cut into pieces and serve.

Related Recipes:

• Ladder Coffee Cakes
• Apricot Date Coffee Cake
• Cream Cheese Swirl Coffee Cake

• 3/4 cup farina

• 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 lb. butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, chopped fine
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the farina, flour, and baking powder together. Cream the butter; add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg yolk at a time, and then add the flour mixture, coconut, and vanilla. Fold in the egg whites. Turn into 2 buttered 8-inch layer cake pans. Bake 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a big cookie rack. May be decorated with whipped cream and grated coconut.

For more coconut recipes, try some of these:

• Coconut Macadamia Nut Brownies
• Coconut Pecan Frosted Brownies
• Coconut Cream Pudding
• Coconut Pancakes
• Coconut Fritters

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. ground anise
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powdered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch layer-cake pan and dust with flour. Beat the eggs and sugar until very thick and light. Sift the anise, flour, and baking powdered into it and folds in lightly but thoroughly. Bake 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a cake or big cookie rack. Turn out and cut into pie-shaped wedges.

So you like cake? Try this recipe for Eggless Milkless Butterless Cake!

Ingredients:

• 2 (3 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

• 2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

• 2 cups unsifted flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth; set aside. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream; mix well.

Pour half the batter into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Spoon cheese mixture on top of batter to within 1/2 inch of pan edge. Spoon remaining batter over filling, spreading to pan edge. Sprinkle with Cinnamon nut topping. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Nut Topping:

Combine 1/4 cups finely chopped gourmet nuts, 2 tbsp. granulated sugar and ½ tsp. ground cinnamon.

Find more coffee cake recipes here:

• Overnight Coffee Cake Recipe
• Apricot Date Coffee Cake
• Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake