Learn how to make a giant heart cookie cake that's thick, chewy, and bakery-style with 3 frosting flavors. No special pan needed!
This is a pretty simple cookie cake that takes less than an hour start to finish. It's perfect for Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, or just for fun! We made it for a back to school treat. I like it because even without the frosting it's really fun to make.
If you're looking for something fancier than Valentine trail mix to share with friends this V Day, I got you! It's easier than something like strawberry cinnamon rolls but is still beautiful and easy to share.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Ease: It's shaped by hand, no heart cookie cutter or pan needed! The frosting is also made from one base layer with a few things mixed in for each flavor.
- Taste: Chewy & soft chocolate chip cookie base with 3 kinds of frosting, made from one base mixture. Naturally flavored and colored!
- Time: Under one hour total, especially if you speed the cooling process by popping the pan in the fridge after it's baked.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Freeze - dried strawberries - I use this for the frosting because it tastes AMAZING, just like fresh strawberries! However, you can always use red dye if that's easier for you.
- Cream cheese - helps the frosting have more flavor than a basic buttercream. The base for all three flavors of frosting are made with a mixture of butter and cream cheese, similar to my banana bread cinnamon rolls.
- Cornstarch - I usually love to use vanilla pudding mix in cookie dough but in this case, I'm just using a little cornstarch to help stabilize the dough without diluting the vanilla cookie flavor.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Freeze dried strawberries - a little bit of beet or raspberry powder would work well, something liquid like jam would change the consistency of the frosting too much and you'd have to add more powdered sugar.
- Chocolate chips - can be any flavor you like! We love semi-sweet or dark chocolate, but white chocolate or peanut butter would be delicious.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Scrape the edges of the bowl as needed.
- Step 2. Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing well until the egg is all the way mixed in and it turns the mixture fluffy.
- Step 3. Add in flour, salt, and baking soda and mix on low speed until dough forms. Mix for at least 1 minute, it will look crumbly at first but will be more play-dough like in texture the longer it's mixed.
- Step 4. Add chocolate chips last, make sure to save some for on top of the cookie.
- Step 5. Place the dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Shape into a heart, long and narrow, about 9-10 inches (22-25cm) across and in length, and about a ½ inch high. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of the heart cookie.
- Step 6. Bake for 15-16 minutes, until the edges are beginning to crack and the middle no longer looks wet. While the cookie still hot, use a spatula to press the edges in a little to make them more neat and heart shaped if needed.
- Step 7. Make the frosting! In a bowl, mix together butter, vanilla, and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Step 8. Add half of the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Add other half of powdered sugar and milk and mix until frosting is creamy and has no lumps left.
- Step 9. Separate the frosting into 3 bowls. Add cocoa powder to the first bowl of frosting and mix well. Add powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla to the second bowl and mix well. Blend the freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder in blender, then mix into the third bowl of frosting.
- Step 10. Place each flavor of frosting into piping bags with open or closed star piping tips (1E, 6B or similar) and frost the cookie around the border with a mix of big and small dots in a zigzag pattern. Different sizes of frosting dots look great! You may need to switch out frosting tips on the colors to get the look you want.
- Step 11. Slice and enjoy! I do 13-14 slices, starting by slicing the heart in half lengthwise. That way every slice has some delicious frosting on it!
Pro Tips:
- Make sure the "V" at the top of the heart is nice and deep so it doesn't disappear as it spreads.
- Use a spatula or a knife to shape the edges of the cookie before AND after baking to make the heart shape neater.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Cookie cake too flat: cause = not enough flour → fix - use a kitchen scale to make sure you have enough flour. The texture should be a stiffer play dough texture.
- Edges too brown: cause = oven hot spots or preheated too high → fix -foil shield or rotate the pan once as it bakes to make sure it bakes evenly.
- Dry or crumbly: cause = overbaked would be crunchy, crumbly would be too much flour and not enough egg. → fix - reduce time or temperature baking or amount of flour.
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, it starts to go stale after that.
You can make dough and frosting ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Bake from frozen (preshaped) for 20 minutes at 350 ℉ or until edges are cracking and middle is no longer wet in appearance.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make a heart shaped cookie cake without a pan?
Shape it by hand, and use a spatula to even the edges up to make them look neater.
Can I freeze a heart shaped cookie cake?
Yes! You can freeze the dough or the baked cookie for up to 3 months.
What's the best frosting for a heart shaped cookie cake?
I use a mixture of cream cheese and butter because it has more flavor than just a buttercream frosting, with the stability from the butter. It also hardens just a bit so the slices look nice.
💕 More Valentine Dessert Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Heart Shaped Cookie Cake
A giant heart cookie cake with delicious chocolate chip cookie base and chocolate, strawberry, & vanilla frosting. Dye free, shaped by hand, flavored naturally!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar 105g
- ½ cup white sugar 104g
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups all purpose flour 275g
- 1 cup chocolate chips of preferred flavor
For the frosting:
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar 365g
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder 21g
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar + splash of vanilla
- ½ cup freeze dried strawberries 10g
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for 3 minutes using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Scrape the edges of the bowl as needed.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup white sugar
- Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing well until the egg is all the way mixed in and it turns the mixture fluffy.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in salt, baking soda, cornstarch, and flour and mix on low speed until dough forms. Mix for at least 1 minute, it will look crumbly at first but will be more play-dough like in texture the longer it's mixed, which is what we want.1 teaspoon salt , 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch , 2 cups all purpose flour
- Add chocolate chips last, make sure to save a few to put on top of the cookie before baking.1 cup chocolate chips of preferred flavor
- Place the dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Shape into a heart, long and narrow, about 9-10 inches (22-25cm) across and in length. Add a few chocolate chips to the top and use a spatula or knife to press the edges flat and even them up to make them neat. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until edges are beginning to crack and middle no longer looks wet. Let cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In a bowl, mix together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.4 Tablespoons salted butter, 4 oz cream cheese
- Add in vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Add other half of powdered sugar and milk and mix until frosting is creamy and has no lumps left.1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 3 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- Separate the frosting into 3 bowls. Add cocoa powder to the first bowl of frosting and mix well. Add powdered sugar and a splash of extra vanilla the second bowl and mix well.3 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- Blend the freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder with a blender, then mix into the third bowl of frosting.½ cup freeze dried strawberries
- Place each flavor of frosting into piping bags with open or closed star piping tips (1E, 6B or similar) and frost the cookie around the border in a zag zag type pattern. Different sizes of frosting dots look great! You may need to switch out frosting tips on the colors to get the look you want.
- Slice and enjoy! I do 13-14 slices, starting by slicing the heart in half lengthwise. That way every slice has some delicious frosting on it!
Notes
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, it starts to go stale after that.
You can make dough and frosting ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Bake from frozen (preshaped) for 20 minutes at 350 ℉.
Nutrition
Calories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 301mgPotassium: 197mgFiber: 2gSugar: 52gVitamin A: 468IUVitamin C: 113mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg
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Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
Made for Valentine's day and everyone loved the frosting flavors. Fresh strawberry was so good!