This rich and gooey Easter cookie cake, made with peanut butter, old-fashioned oats, and mini chocolate eggs, is the perfect mashup of nostalgic flavors. The kids will have a blast helping bake up this fun, easy-to-make dessert!
Cookie cakes are one of my family's favorite desserts to bake together because they are so simple to prepare, requiring no mixers or special equipment. My toddler loves helping mix the dough and pressing it into the pan.
We also enjoy customizing the flavors and mix-ins according to the occasion. Transform this Easter cookie cake into a chocolate chip, Christmas, or Valentine's cookie cake with different mix-ins and seasonal candies. For more spring desserts, check out our Old Fashioned Banana Pudding and Southern Tea Cake recipes next!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Cookie Cake
- A mashup of beloved cookie flavors! Oatmeal, peanut butter, and mini Cadbury eggs come together in one cookie cake to create an epic sweet treat.
- Incredibly easy to make! You don't even need a handheld mixer to whip up the cookie dough - a bowl and a wooden spoon work great! You will need a mixer for the buttercream frosting but adding it is completely optional and this dessert still tastes amazing without it.
- Chewy but sturdy texture! Once cooled, the texture of this cookie cake is satisfyingly chewy while being sturdy enough to eat without a fork.
Variations of This Recipe
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it can be easily transformed to include so many different flavors! Try some of the following variations to make this cookie cake all your own:
- Oatmeal raisin
- Chocolate chip
- Peanut butter chocolate chip
- M&M
- Chocolate peppermint
- Reeses pieces
- Funfetti
Also, there are several substitutions to make to accommodate your specific needs:
- Feel free to eliminate the oats and make this cookie cake using 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour instead.
- If you're making this cookie cake outside of the Easter season, feel free to substitute M&M's.
- Try substituting cookie butter for peanut butter for a sweeter, spiced flavor. You will want to try our cookie butter pie next!
Important Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients, measurements, and detailed printable recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
You will need the following ingredients to make this Easter cookie cake:
- Oats. This recipe calls for old-fashioned rolled oats. You may substitute quick-cooking oats, although it may change the final texture of your cookie cake slightly. See how I also use oats in my chewy monster cookies!
- Leavening agents. Although this recipe calls for a combination of baking soda and baking powder, you may also use only one of these leaving agents if that is what you have on hand. Substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder or ¾ teaspoons of baking soda.
- Peanut butter. You want to use traditional, no-stir creamy peanut butter for this recipe. For the best result, I do not recommend using the natural varieties that require stirring.
- Vanilla extract. I always recommend using good quality, pure vanilla extract for baking to ensure the best flavor. Imitation and low-quality vanilla can give your baked goods an "off" flavor. Vanilla extract also adds delicious flavor to my soft and chewy chai cookies!
- Mini Cadbury eggs. You can find these candies in most grocery stores around the Easter holiday. I recommend slightly crushing them before adding them to your cookie dough for the best flavor. If you're making this cookie cake outside of the Easter season, you may substitute M&M candies (no need to crush), dried fruit, or chopped nuts. See how I use nuts in my thick and chewy kitchen sink cookies!
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
Step 2. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
Step 3. Stir the egg and vanilla extract into the sugar mixture.
Step 4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon just until no more streaks of dry flour are visible.
Step 5. Fold the mini eggs and chocolate chips into the cookie dough.
Step 6. With moistened hands, press the cookie dough into the prepared springform pan. Bake the cookie cake for 18 to 22 minutes until light golden brown.
Step 7. In the ball of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the powdered sugar and butter for the frosting. Mix in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract.
Step 8. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star piping tip and pipe frosting around the edges of the completely cooled cookie cake.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend traditional old-fashioned rolled oats for this cookie cake such as Bob's Red Mill or 365. While you may use quick-cooking oats, they can change the final texture slightly. I do not recommend steel-cut oats.
While there are pans on the market specifically made for baking cookie cakes, there are many pans that work great for cookie cakes. You may use a springform pan, a removable bottom tart pan, round cake pans, or even pizza pans for making cookie cakes.
If Cadbury mini eggs are not in season, try making this cookie cake using M&M's, dried fruit, or chopped nuts instead.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
This Easter cookie cake is an excellent make-ahead dessert! You can make this cookie cake up to two days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Allow it to come to room temperature on the counter before slicing. I love to use a regular pie or cake storage container for storing this cookie cake.
More Spring Desserts You Will Love!
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📖 Recipe
Easter Cookie Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie Cake
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter - melted
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter - see note
- ½ cup light brown sugar - or dark brown
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini Cadbury eggs - slightly crushed
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Sprinkles - for topping, optional
Vanilla Buttercream
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened
- 1 ¼ -1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the old-fashioned oats, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, mix the melted butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with a wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract until no longer visible.
- Add the oats and flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula just until no more streaks of dry flour are visible.
- Fold the mini eggs and chocolate chips into the cookie dough, being careful not to overmix.
- Wet hands with water (to prevent sticking) and press the cookie dough into the bottom of the springform pan, ensuring it reaches the edges of the pan. Bake the cookie cake for 18 to 22 minutes until slightly golden brown on top. The center may appear a bit under-baked - it will continue to set as the cookie cake cools.
- While the cookie cools, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until thick and creamy. Start on low speed (3-4 on a stand mixer) and gradually increase to medium-high (6-8).
- Beat in the milk, vanilla, and salt until a smooth, pipeable consistency is reached.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star piping tip, I love the 1M Wilton piping tip. Pipe frosting around the edge of the completely cooled cookie cake and finish with sprinkles if desired. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- You may substitute quick-cooking oats, although it may change the final texture of your cookie cake slightly.
- For the best result, you want to use traditional, no-stir creamy peanut butter for this recipe and not the natural varieties that require stirring.
- I always recommend using good quality, pure vanilla extract for baking to ensure the best flavor. Imitation and low-quality vanilla can give your baked goods an "off" flavor.
- To crush the mini Cadbury eggs, place them in a large zip-top bag and gently crush them using a rolling pin.
- If you're making this cookie cake outside of the Easter season, you may substitute M&M candies (no need to crush), dried fruit, or chopped nuts.
- For an attractive, bakery-style finish, reserve some crushed Cadbury mini eggs and press them into the top of the cookie dough before the cookie cake goes into the oven.
- Allow the cookie cake to cool completely before frosting and cutting. This prevents the frosting from melting into the cookie and allows for clean slicing.
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