Classic Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Growing up, we made one of these every year, for every family birthday, no questions asked (like anyone would have questions…)! Now this is THE classic Toll House recipe… the one that’s on the back of the bag of Nestle Semisweet Chocolate Chips. I didn’t have the bag on hand (long story here, but I tried going dairy-free for awhile), so I just searched the Nestle website and quickly found the classic recipe here

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate chips

With an over-eager helper on hand, I had to go about this a bit more carefully than I used to. *Tip for baking with kids* Lots of measuring cups, and spoons let little hands help without making a huge mess. So S helped me scoop the flour into the small bowl (I, of course, oversaw that the correct amount ended up in there)

Then she mixed the dry ingredients with the “little spoon”.

For optimal texture, make sure the butter is, indeed, softened (not hard, but not liquid either).

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth. (You can use a stand or hand mixture, but S gets to help more if we do it the old fashioned way with a little elbow grease) Then add vanilla, and eggs one at a time.

Then mix the dry ingredients, a little bit at a time, into the wet. *Kids can help with this by scooping some of the flour mixture into the wet mixture as you stir*

Finally, add the chocolate chips. Obviously, her favorite part.

If making cookies, instead of cookie cake, this is where you’ll break off (and drop rounded tablespoons onto a greased pan – cook for 9-10 minutes). For the cake, I used a ~14in round pan (0.5in deep) and it was perfect for this recipe. You can also use a jelly roll pan. Bake for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes, but remove when it’s JUST golden brown around the edges, and if you’re questioning whether to leave it in another minute… DON’T! Nobody likes a dry cookie cake