Happy birthday, happy birthday (Giant Cookie Cake)

Last night we celebrated my friend Kristen's birthday with a surprise dinner celebration at Benihana.  When her husband Tony and I were planning the dinner, I asked what kind of cake she would like.  Tony suggested that I get a cookie cake from Mrs. Field's at the mall.  Buy a cake?!?  That is essentially a big cookie??  I self-appointed myself to the challenge of once again recreating a homemade version of a store bought classic.

This was a task with high expectations.  I was slightly nervous.  Especially when Husband, after seeing my nervousness, said "You should have just bought a cookie cake."  

Fork - for scale.

(Yeah, sometimes his brain-mouth filter has a large hole in it.  I love him anyway.)

Yesterday, cake finished, we got in the car to go to dinner, me a ball of nerves.  Being that the giant cookie had to stay intact, I hadn't been able to sample the dessert before I served it. Why would I think of trying something new for such an important thing as this?  What if it was terrible? What if I ruined Kristen's birthday with a terrible cookie cake that everyone would then have to eat to be polite??

(Have we met?  I can be a tiny bit neurotic at times.)

So we arrived at the restaurant.  I drank some wine.  We yelled SURPRISE!  I drank some more wine.  We had dinner.  I drank some saki.  Dinner was over.  They brought out the cake, with the cute KRISTEN candles.  I reached for my empty wine glass.  The waiter cut into the cake and served everyone a piece.

Bites were taken.  Chewed.  Taken again.  I waited with baited breath.

"Wow, this tastes just like you get at the store!!"

Big sign of relief.  Big bite of cookie cake.  One more glass of wine.

 The end.

Happy Birthday! Giant Cookie Cake

(from allrecipes.com)

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2-1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups/1 bag semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, sift together the four, salt and baking soda.  Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth.  Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Line a 14" pizza pan with parchment paper.  Drop the dough into the center of the pan and spread it outward into a circle.  Bake at 375 for 22 minutes, or until the edges are brown and it looks set in the middle.  Cool completely before decorating.

Cream Cheese Icing

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2-3/4 cups powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter and milk until smooth.  (I used a hand mixer for all my icings, because it allows me better control.)  Slowly add the powdered sugar, in 1/2 cup increments, beating until incorporated.  Refrigerate 2 hours before piping.

Never underestimate the power of cream cheese icing.