Happy New Year!!
I brought a cookie cake to our New Year’s Eve celebration this year and I have to tell you… it was an absolute hit. The littles, the teens, the adults – everyone raved. But, as with most things around here, the final product comes with quite a story.
I first attempted this cookie cake a few weeks ago for Whit’s birthday. When Honey asked why on earth I suddenly felt compelled to bake a sheet-pan-sized dessert, I told him I’d had this recipe earmarked for ages and Great American sells theirs for $58. I figured I could make one for under $5…and it sounded fun. (Famous last words.)
Well, round one was a journey. It took forever. I didn’t bake it long enough the first time, I struggled flipping it out of the pan, and all of that happened before I even reached the icing. That became its own circus – dyeing icing two different colors, attempting a Pinterest-worthy swirl, and then having the piping bag explode mid-dot while icing “Whit.” I salvaged the cake into something passable, boxed it beautifully the night before, and honestly felt so proud.
Sometime on the afternoon of his actual birthday, I walked into the dining room and spotted one strange slice on the floor and realized the puppies had eaten the entire cake. The size of a sheet pan. I was panic-stricken. We rushed them to the vet, they had vomiting induced and charcoal treatments, and came home just as Whit’s friends were arriving to celebrate (covered in charcoal and still getting sick. It. Was. A. Mess.
Once we were confident the ladies would be okay, we mourned the cake…and even managed a laugh that I had inadvertently made the most expensive homemade cookie cake in history – a $650 emergency vet bill plus the actual $58 store-bought Great American Cake I had to purchase on the way home. I promised Whit a re-do, and New Year’s Eve was redemption day.
This time, I learned a few things. I lined my cookie sheet with parchment and added five extra minutes to the bake time. I decided the dyed icing wasn’t worth the effort and went with classic white. I bought real piping bags and did not overfill them. And, friends… she was beautiful. And delicious. I’ll never buy one again!
For the New Year’s Eve version, I added edible glitter (tip: dip a clean small paint brush in glitter and tap gently over the cake), plus gold and white sprinkles from my stash. It was sparkly, festive, simple…and the crowd devoured every bite.
If you want to try it at home, the recipe I used is from Pizzazzerie – one of my long-time favorite follows!
https://pizzazzerie.com/recipes/the-best-cookie-cake-recipe/
Here’s to ending the year on a sweet note!
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