If you like Texas Sheet Cake, you're really going to love it as a cookie. This recipe for homemade Texas Sheet Cake Cookies is everything you know and love about that deeply chocolate, seriously fudgy Lone Star cake -- only now it's in handheld form. Going back for seconds has never been easier. Yes, please.
These cookies bake up soft, thick, and chewy, with a cake-like texture. Best of all? They've got a 360° coating of that decadent fudgy sheet cake icing. Sprinkle the top with a pinch of Kosher salt or few chopped pecans, and get ready to serve up the greatest chocolate cookie you (or anyone else) has ever laid tastebuds on.
Texas Sheet Cake Cookies are a special chocolate dessert perfect for any and all special occasions! Whether you're making them to share at a potluck BBQ, bringing them along to this years holiday party, or baking a batch for holiday giving, this is a gorgeous cookie you cannot go wrong with!
You'll also love our chocolatey-peanut butter Hershey Thumbprint Cookies, and if you love cake-y cookies, these soft and chewy Sour Cream Cookies belong on your list too! Bookmark them all for your next baking extravaganza!
HOW TO MAKE TEXAS SHEET CAKE COOKIES
- Make the Cookies
- Make the Icing
- Dip the Cookies In Icing
- Allow To Set
1. MAKE THE COOKIES
Mix the Dry Ingredients | In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt. Then, set the bowl aside until ready to use.
Melt Chocolate and Butter | Add the butter and chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30-second increments, stirring after each stint in the microwave. Set aside the melty mixture and start working on your eggs and sugar.
Mix Eggs and Sugar | Mixing the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy results in a perfectly chewy, thick cookie that retains its shape while baking! Along with the eggs and sugar, you’ll also add in the vanilla extract. You’ll know you’re ready to move on to the next step when the mixture becomes a very pale yellow and has almost doubled in volume.
Add the Melted Butter and Chocolate | Next, stream in the melted butter and chocolate and mix on low to combine.
Add the Dry Ingredients | To finish your Texas Sheet Cake Cookies, the last thing you’ll do is add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Scoop and Bake | Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough on to the cookie sheet, spacing each dough ball about 1 ½-2″ apart, and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 375°F and set aside to cool on the pan.
2. MAKE THE ICING
The icing comes together on the stovetop. Butter, milk cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt are added to a saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture is melted and begins to simmer, remove it from the heat, and add the vanilla.
3. ICE THE COOKIES
The icing for these cookies is almost identical to the one you'd find across the top of a Texas Sheet Cake, and it is decadently delicious! Before you begin icing the cookies, be sure to have ready a large work surface lined with wax paper. Wax paper is a nonstick surface and ensures you can remove your cookies with the chocolate coating completely intact!
Submerge each cookie into the icing, and using two forks, pick it up and allow all of the excess to drip away.
QUICK TIP: If you'd prefer not to dip the cookies, you can also spoon a scant tablespoon of icing over the top of each one and let it drip down the sides. Again, take care not to use too much so your Texas Sheet Cake Cookies don't end up with a giant pool of frosting surrounding them!
As delicious as that sounds, it doesn't make for very attractive Texas Sheet Cake Cookies, so taking a few extra seconds to this is truly worth it.
4. ALLOW THEM TO SET
Place the iced cookies on the wax paper and sprinkle the tops with a scant pinch of Kosher salt or pecans, if desired. Be sure to do this step quickly after the cookie comes out of the icing, as the surface will set up quickly. Repeat until all the cookies have been dipped.
The hardest part is always the waiting -- I know. Allow them to set for 1-4 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity level of your environment.
COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- Cake Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
ICING INGREDIENTS
- Unsalted Butter
- Cocoa Powder
- Whole Milk
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Pecans (if using)
HOW TO STORE TEXAS SHEET CAKE COOKIES
If you miraculously end up with extra Texas Sheet Cake Cookies on hand, you’ll want to know how to store them. The good news is, you have options! You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS
If you’d like to enjoy your Texas Sheet Cake Cookies for any length of time beyond this, freeze them! These cookies freeze beautifully, and you can keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze them, allow the chocolate to set completely, then transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container or a freezer-safe zip-top, gallon-sized bag.
If using a container, try to use one that houses the cookies snugly, but not such a tight fit that they are crammed to the point of breaking. If using a zip-top bag, be sure to remove as much air as possible before sealing it.
TIPS FOR MAKING TEXAS SHEET CAKE COOKIES
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. If the eggs are cold, you will not be able to get the volume needed in the first part of the recipe. This is an important step that ensures the cookies bake up fluffy and thick!
- Use cake flour! Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour and makes for more tender, cake-like cookie.
- Let the dough rest. You'll notice as the dough comes together, it is a very wet batter. Before you begin scooping the dough out, you'll find it beneficial to set the batter aside and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. Once the time is up, the dough will be much easier to scoop!
- Don't over-bake them! If you want a soft and chewy Texas Sheet Cake Cookie, don't over-bake them! Many ovens cook differently, and for this reason, it's best to check the cookies at the 8-minute mark.
- Make sure they're cool before you ice them. If you ice warm cookies, that icing is going to slide right off.
- Top them quickly! The surface of the icing sets up fast. If you are adding a sprinkle of Kosher salt or chopped pecans to the tops of your cookies, you'll want to do it almost immediately after they make their way to the wax paper.
5 MORE CHOCOLATE COOKIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Chocolate Crinkles
- Chocolate Drop Cookies
- Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
This recipe for homemade Texas Sheet Cake Cookies offers everything you know and love about that deeply chocolate, seriously fudgy cake in handheld form!
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 room temperature large eggs (room temperature eggs are important)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped pecans (optioonal)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- Generous ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Kosher salt for sprinkling (optional)
- ¾ cup chopped pecans for sprinkling (optional)
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and have ready a cookie sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside until ready to use.
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Add the butter and chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 30-second increments, stirring after each stint in the microwave until melted. Set aside.
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Add the granulated sugar, eggs, and extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. Mix on medium-high speed, until the mixture has lightened in color and almost doubled in volume. This should take at least 3 minutes.
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Stream in the melted butter and chocolate and mix on low to combine.
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Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the pecans (if using) and mix on low once more. Set the dough aside to rest, about 10-15 minutes.
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Scoop heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough on to the cookie sheet, spacing them about 1 ½-2" apart, and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes and set aside to cool on the pan.
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Once the cookies have completely cooled, add the butter, cocoa, milk, and sea salt to a large saucepan over medium heat and stir. Allow butter to melt, then stir in the powdered sugar, until smooth and add the vanilla.
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Have ready a large work surface lined with wax paper. Submerge each cookie into the icing, and using two forks, pick it up and allow all of the excess to drip away. Place on the wax paper and sprinkle with a scant pinch of Kosher salt or a generous pinch of chopped pecans, if desired. Repeat until all the cookies have been dipped.
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Allow to set completely (1-4 hours depending on your environment), serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Video
