M&M Cookie Stack Cake

Welcome to Wedding Week!!  Lots to celebrate, so I figured it was appropriate to share this over-the-top party cake that screams happiness and celebration.  This is not your average cookie cake – rather than one big cookie baked the size of cake, dozens of cookies are stacked on top of each other and glued together with buttercream.  I’ve said before that cookies can be a boring thing to share on blogs because they don’t always have the same pizazz as colorful cupcakes or fudgey brownies, but when presented like this, no cookie can be boring! The addition of the sparkly toothpicks doesn’t hurt either :)

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A few months ago I saw a post on Cookies & Cups for a basic cookie recipe that’s open to any sort of mix-ins.  Shelly called it “The Perfect Cookie Base”, so I tried it out and absolutely loved the recipe!!  The cookies were chewy and soft but had a nice crisp edge and the dough held the M&M’s well.  I also added some chocolate chips to the mix just because.  This was actually my first time making M&M cookies believe it or not, and I don’t know why I waited so long – such an irresistible classic.  Then smother them with frosting and stack them on top of each other and you’ve got a lost cause!   Cutting into this cake was so much fun, I love the layers of cookies and splashes of color from the M&M’s.  When I served this at a dinner party my friends kept just taking cookies from the top, but I scolded them that that was too boring.  Cutting into and getting little slices of stacked cookies is much more fun :)   It’s certainly decadent so a small piece goes a long way, but good luck resisting seconds!

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If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert for a party that is different than your average cake, you have to try this.  Sure it’s a few extra steps than your average batch of cookies, but it’s really not hard and the result is very impressive.  Just be prepared to make a lot of cookies to make a large impact!   And if you can find some sparkly toothpicks like this I think it would also make a great 4th of July treat since they are firework-esque.  Okay, now time to start working on making my own fireworks this weekend – next time I write I’ll be a Mrs.!!!  (And please continue the happy thoughts, forecast could definitely use some improvement!)

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M&M Cookie Stack Cake

Cookie recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients:

for the cookies:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups regular M&M's (or whatever mix-in you prefer)
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or whatever mix-in you prefer)

for the buttercream:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

for the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla, mixing well between each addition and scraping the sides down as necessary.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the flour mixture until just incorporated.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the M&M's and chocolate chips into the dough until evenly distributed.
- Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets and bake for 8-9 minutes, until edges are just golden. Remove from oven, let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

for the buttercream:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the cream and vanilla and continue to beat for another few minutes.
- Transfer buttercream to a decorating bag with a large round tip, or a ziplock back with the corner snipped off.

for assembly:
- I've made a diagram to help explain how this cake is put together:

cookies

- Start by arranging a circle of cookies on your cake plate with one in the center. Pipe a thick ring of buttercream on that layer. Then, place the next layer of cookies as shown in the picture above. Leave the center cookie empty this time and fill that space with buttercream, as well as adding another ring of buttercream around the circle of cookies.
- Continue building layers with these two configurations until you run out of cookies. I used about 42 cookies I believe in all and ended with a mound of buttercream that I sprinkled with crumbled cookies and more M&M's. This cake is not meant to be perfect, so just go with the flow and see how it turns out!

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18 Responses to “M&M Cookie Stack Cake”

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    1
    Laura — June 4, 2013 @ 6:44 pm

    oh my, how amazing does this look! x

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    2
    Karissa K. @ Sweet As A Cookie — June 4, 2013 @ 7:21 pm

    What a great idea! Looks amazing!

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    Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie — June 4, 2013 @ 8:23 pm

    Oh my gosh! I might have to make this for one of my friend’s bachelorette parties this summer.

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    4
    Kristen D — June 4, 2013 @ 8:57 pm

    Happy Wedding Week!! This looks amazing!!! :) yummmmm! See you Friday!! :)
    -kdunn

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    Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts — June 4, 2013 @ 9:06 pm

    What a fun twist on cookie cake — love it!! Congrats on Wedding Week!

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    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust — June 5, 2013 @ 1:54 am

    I think I just found what I’m doing for my husband’s cake this year! This is genius!

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    Mimi @ Culinary Couture — June 5, 2013 @ 4:11 am

    Oh baby, bring on the calories! This is clearly not for the faint of heart. Have a wonderful wedding weekend–sending happy thoughts your way! :)

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    Urban Wife — June 5, 2013 @ 5:56 pm

    Genius idea! Hope your wedding is wonderful and that the weather cooperates. :)

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    Annie — June 5, 2013 @ 6:52 pm

    Wow! Such a fabulous idea and the photos are fantastic. Simple, inexpensive- high impact. Love love love :)

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    Hana Sarker — June 6, 2013 @ 2:05 am

    Sending all the best your way for the wedding weekend, fingers crossed that the weather takes a turn for the best.

    I made your confetti cookie cake for my 1st year anniversary, this is book marked for the 2nd one coming up in a month!

    THANKS for awesome ideas and being an inspiration!

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    Renee @ Awesome on $20 — June 6, 2013 @ 7:11 am

    This looks truly awesome. I’m a sucker for those mall cookies loaded with frosting, so this is right up my alley. Good luck with your wedding. Everything will be lovely. I fretted about the weather for my outdoor wedding three months ago, but it ended up being perfect. But of course, it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re with the people you love.

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    michelle — June 6, 2013 @ 6:02 pm

    so cool! I have to do this. ANd congrats on the upcoming wedding!!

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    Elisa — June 7, 2013 @ 3:54 am

    Congratulations!, have a wonderful time!

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    Abe — June 10, 2013 @ 3:47 am

    Congratulations!

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    Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake — June 17, 2013 @ 12:22 pm

    I hope your wedding was amazing! Love this cookie cake, it’s so fun and festive and perfect for a birthday party or celebration!

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    Julia — January 13, 2014 @ 12:51 pm

    I love the diagram of how you built the cake!

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    ss — February 11, 2016 @ 10:14 pm

    I just wanted to know if it was possible to make this in advance? and how to go about storing it? It looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!!

    • Erica — February 12th, 2016 @ 8:14 am

      Yes, I think you could make it a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge in a cake carrier or something to keep it covered. Let it come to room temp for about 2 hours before you’re planning on eating it. Enjoy!

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