Soft, delicious, molten cookie baked in a tray – it’s the perfect sharing dessert! All the goodness of a classic chocolate chip cookie with half the effort!
Sometimes you’re craving a proper chocolate chip cookie, but other times, you just want a warm, soft, almost cookie that’s gooey, molten, and a little underdone, topped with warm ice cream. And that’s exactly when you bring out this recipe.
Think of it like a giant cookie in a tray, with all the deliciousness of a classic cookie, but no rolling and chilling. Just scoop the dough into the tray and bake.
Let’s get into the details of the recipe.
Cookie Dough
The cookie dough base is super simple to make with pantry ingredients and comes together in under 20 minutes. I like to keep the base plain and top it with chocolate after baking, but you can always add chocolate chips or any other add-ins you like.
PS: Love cookies? Try these recipes!
Here are the steps for making the cookie dough.
- Place the softened butter, brown, and white sugar in a bowl and whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is properly creamed. Make sure to scrape the bowl a few times while mixing to make sure that everything is getting mixed evenly.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk for two minutes until there are no more liquid streaks.
- Add the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. If you are including any mix-ins, add them at this step.
- Scoop the dough into a large baking dish with an ice cream scoop or large spoon until the tray is full. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake the cookie tray for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges but still soft in the center.
- As soon as the cookie tray comes out of the oven, top each piece with a chocolate piece and serve warm with more melted chocolate and ice cream.
This is the kind of dessert that will have your friends coming back to your place requesting it every week, and one that you’ll want to eat all the time! Especially because it’s so easy to make.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are unreliable and can give different measurements, so I suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups; however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.
Chocolate Cookie Tray Bake
Equipment
- 9×11" deep baking dish
- Electric mixer with whisk attachment
- silicon spatula
- Ice cream scoop optional
Ingredients
- 225 grams unsalted butter softened
- 150 grams white granulated sugar
- 150 grams packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 380 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50 grams milk chocolate cut into small bars
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Melted chocolate for serving
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Place the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl and beat on high speed for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture looks light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times so everything mixes evenly.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. and whisk for around 2 minutes until the batter looks smooth and fully combined, with no liquid streaks left.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Avoid mixing too much. If you’re adding chocolate chips, nuts, or other mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Scoop the cookie dough into a large baking tray or dish, cover, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Bake the cookie tray for about 20–25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden, but the center is still soft and slightly gooey.
- Once out of the oven, press the chocolate pieces on top while the cookie is still hot. Serve warm with extra melted chocolate and a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- Creaming is key: Beat the butter and sugars well until fluffy. This helps create a soft and chewy texture in the final cookie tray.
- Scrape the bowl often: Make sure to scrape down the sides while mixing so no butter or sugar gets left behind unmixed.
- Don’t overmix the flour: Once the dry ingredients go in, mix only until combined. Overmixing can make the cookie tray dense instead of soft.
- Customize with mix-ins: Chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, nuts, marshmallows, or even crushed biscuits work great in this recipe.
- Chilling helps: Letting the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes helps the cookie bake evenly and improves texture.
- Watch the center: The edges should be set and lightly golden while the middle stays soft. It will continue cooking slightly as it cools.
- Top while warm: Adding chocolate pieces right after baking allows them to melt beautifully into the cookie tray.
- Best served fresh: This cookie tray tastes amazing warm, especially with ice cream and extra melted chocolate on top.
If you give this recipe a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments. And of course, share it with me on Instagram!
Until next time!
