Recipe: Healthier Cookie Cake

If you're following Southern In-Law on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - you would have seen that we had a cookie cake for Jesse's birthday on Wednesday!

I asked Jesse again and again what kind of cake or dessert he wanted for his birthday and he kept saying nothing. Well... you have to know that's not going to happen!

Jesse is always asking me for cookies and I made a batch when he got home which he said was perfect - so I decided a Cookie Cake would be the perfect cake to celebrate with.

You all know that I love making everyones' favourite dishes better for you - so of course I had to make this cookie cake healthier too!

Now, on the interwebs, you'll find plenty of healthier cookie recipes made with beans or funky flours - but not here on Southern In-Law! When I make a recipe healthier, I want to do it using ingredients you already have at home - and I want to make it taste even better than the original - not just like a healthy replacement. 

This cookie cake uses butter - but only a very small amount! As a receive emails all the time asking if you can use butter substitutes and margarines in my recipes, I tested this out too and I can tell you that it works perfectly in this cookie cake. 

Whilst I made a regular version for my family, I also whipped up a gluten free version for myself which worked perfectly - so this is a cake that can be anyone's birthday treat!

But onto the recipe! 

Healthier Cookie Cake Recipe - makes one 8" cookie cake  

Low fat, can be gluten free 

1 1/4 cups plain flour/gluten free flour

1 tsp baking soda

A pinch of salt 

4 tbsp butter or butter substitute (see note*) 

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

~1/2 cup chocolate chips (or mix ins of your choice)

Grease and line a 6-8" cake tin, set aside.

Cream your butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in your egg and vanilla, mixing until combined. 

Gradually mix in your flour, baking soda and salt - mixing on a low speed until combined.

Mix in your chocolate chips until evenly dispersed throughout the dough.

Pour the cookie dough into the prepared cake tin, spreading out as best as you can (it will look quite thin, but it rises alot!)

Cover your tin and chill in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes (I actually left my dough in the fridge for a few hours, taking it out 10 minutes before baking)

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F

Place your cake tin into the oven, baking the cookie cake for about 30-45 minutes or until golden and cooked through**. 

Once cooked, leave your cookie cake to cool before removing from the tin. 

Notes: 

*Feel free to use margarine or non-dairy spreads as they work perfectly fine in this recipe. I used Devondale Extra Light Spread as it's what we had in the house and it clearly worked fine! (even though it says not to bake with it - I don't listen to instructions :P)

**If your cookie cake begins to brown too much, place some foil over the top of the tin and continue cooking.  

So tell me, what's your birthday cake of choice? 

I'm a chocolate girl (as if you didn't already know that) but I also love Carrot Cake and Banana Cake - so it's always a tough decision as to what I want for my birthday! Last year it was my Healthy Chocolate Brownies which are always a winner with everyone!

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