Heart Shaped Cookie Cake with Marshmallow
This Heart Shaped Cookie Cake with marshmallow is a thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie cake baked in a heart-shaped pan with layers of gooey marshmallow ribbons throughout. It slices like a cake but tastes like your favorite bakery-style cookie.
Unlike many marshmallow cookie recipes that mix marshmallows directly into the dough (where they often melt away into the batter), this version uses marshmallow cream to create visible, soft ribbons that stay distinct in every slice. You get marshmallow flavor and texture in every bite.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day), this heart shaped cake also doubles as a thoughtful Mother’s Day dessert or edible birthday gift. It’s simple to make, doesn’t require complicated decorating, and best of all; there’s no chilling the dough.
How Do I Make a Cookie into a Cake?
Turning a cookie into a cake is easier than you might think.
To make a chocolate chip marshmallow cookie cake, simply press cookie dough into a greased baking pan instead of scooping individual cookies onto a sheet. Because the dough bakes inside a pan, you don’t have to worry about cookies spreading or flattening, which means no chilling required.
For this Heart Shaped Cookie Cake, transfer the dough to a greased heart-shaped pan, layer in the marshmallow cream, top with more dough, bake, and slice.
The hardest part? Waiting for it to cool before cutting into it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Thick, soft, and chewy in the center with lightly crisp edges
- No dough chilling required
- The pan keeps everything contained so it bakes up tall and moist
- Marshmallow cream creates soft, gooey, visible ribbons baked right into the cookie cake instead of disappearing like regular marshmallows
- Simple to slice and serve for small gatherings
- Perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or a birthday celebration
- Easy to customize with colored sprinkles or a piped message for a beautiful edible gift
- This chocolate chip cookie cake looks impressive but is secretly very easy to make.
Table of Contents
- How Do I Make a Cookie into a Cake?
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Do I Need To Chill The Cookie Dough?
- Substitutions & Variations
- Make Ahead and Storage Info
- Expert Tips for the Perfect Heart Cookie Cake
- Heart Shaped Cookie Cake FAQs
- Delicious Starts Here
- A Festive Dessert for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: If using salted butter, omit the kosher salt
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Granulated Sugar: Helps create crisp edges and balances sweetness.
- Eggs: Bind the dough and give the cookie lift and structure.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: You can substitute the same amount of vanilla bean paste, or scrape the seeds from half a vanilla bean pod, for a more pronounced vanilla flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Weighing your flour will give you most accurate measure.
- Cornstarch: Softens the crumb and helps create a thicker, bakery-style texture.
- Kosher Salt: If using table salt, reduce the salt to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Baking Soda: Gives the cookie a gentle rise.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Or use milk chocolate chips if you prefer; this will give you a sweeter flavor profile.
- Marshmallow Cream: Or use marshmallow fluff.
- Chocolate Hearts: Milk of dark chocolate, for garnish.
- Sprinkles: Any type of Valentine ‘s-themed sprinkles will do.
Refer to the printable recipe card below for ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.
How to Make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in eggs and vanilla, then add dry ingredients until just combined.
3. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
4. Spread three-quarters of the dough into the pan and add marshmallow cream.
5. Top with remaining dough and smooth gently to cover.
6. Place chocolate hearts onto the top layer and add sprinkles.
Do I Need To Chill The Cookie Dough?
No. Because the dough bakes in a pan, it stays contained and won’t spread like traditional cookies.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap the Chocolate: Try white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks.
- Make chocolate chip marshmallow cookies instead of this cookie cake recipe. Simply flatten a dough ball in the palm of your hand, add a teaspoon of marshmallow cream in the center, bring the edges of the dough together, and seal them. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
- Create mini heart shaped chocolate chip cookies: Use a heart cookie cutter and brush the marshmallow cream on top before baking. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
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Make Ahead and Storage Info
Room Temperature: Cookies with marshmallow cream tend to become quite sticky when stored for more than 2 days at room temperature. Store them in the refrigerator if you don’t eat them soon.
Refrigerator: Store cookie cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature before serving.
Expert Tips for the Perfect Heart Cookie Cake
- Grease the tablespoon and offset spatula when working with the marshmallow cream. It makes handling the sticky marshmallow much easier.
- If the top begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake.
- For more defined chocolate hearts, press them into the cookie immediately after baking the cookie cake, while it’s still warm, rather than before.
- For clean slices, let the cookie cool fully and wipe the knife between cuts.
- Do not over bake. This cookie cake is meant to have a slightly soft center with firmer outer edges. It will continue to set as it cools in the pan.
- Marshmallows in cookies tend to disappear into the dough when baked, so make sure to use marshmallow cream or marshmallow fluff to keep the marshmallow intact after baking.
Heart Shaped Cookie Cake FAQs
Baking times will vary depending on the size of your baking pan. In a 9 x 2¼-inch heart-shaped pan the cookie cake takes about 25 minutes at 350°F to bake. Start checking for doneness after about 20 minutes. If the edges are golden and crisp, perform the toothpick text to see if the center is also ready. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil during the final minutes of baking.
Yes, use a heart cookie cutter and brush the marshmallow cream on top before baking. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350°F.
es. To make marshmallow stuffed cookies, scoop the dough into balls and flatten each one slightly in the palm of your hand. Add about a teaspoon of marshmallow cream to the center, then bring the edges of the dough up and over the filling, sealing it completely. Refrigerate the filled dough balls for 1 hour to help prevent spreading. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. These bake up like thick chocolate chip marshmallow cookies with a gooey center.
Delicious Starts Here
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Heart Shaped Cookie Cake with Marshmallow
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (160g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 5 tablespoons (32g) marshmallow cream
- 6 (42g) dark or milk chocolate hearts I used Dove milk chocolate hearts
- Sprinkles for garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9 x 2¼-inch heart-shaped baking pan and place two strips of parchment paper perpendicular to each other, allowing them to hang over the edges to act as pull handles.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and light in color, scraping down the as needed.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer ¾ of the cookie dough to the prepared pan. Smooth the layer with an offset spatula, making sure to work the dough into the corners of the pan.
- Dollop the marshmallow cream onto the cookie dough layer and smooth it out with a lightly greased offset spatula.
- Top with the remaining cookie dough, making sure that most of the marshmallow layer is covered.
- Place the chocolate hearts on top and add sprinkles if desired.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown, the center is just set, and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The cookie cake will continue to cook as it cools.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. If needed, run a small offset spatula around the edges to release the cookie cake from the sides.
- Use the parchment paper handles to lift the cookie from the pan and cool for another 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes:
Nutrition
A Festive Dessert for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day
This Heart Shaped Cookie Cake makes an easy, homemade dessert that is thoughtful and celebratory. The heart shape makes it perfect for Valentine’s Day, but it’s just as meaningful for Mother’s Day or as a homemade birthday gift. Planning a Mother’s Day brunch? These Banana Peach Papaya Smoothies are perfect for the occasion. And if you’re looking for another edible gift idea, try my decadent Salted Caramel Sauce.
I love the soft center and crisp edges I get from baking this cookie cake in a pan, instead of as a batch of cookies – a fun Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day gift idea!