Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

One of my cousins turned two about a month ago. Her parents decided to throw her a birthday party. Since I had been doing so much baking this year I wanted to bake a chocolate chip cookie cake for the b-day girl. Everyone (almost) loves a chocolate chip cookie, so who wouldn't love a GIANT chocolate chip cookie? However, my cousin wouldn't let me because she had already a cake from a bakery with Dora the Explorer on it. I know my family well enough to know that half of them wouldn't touch a cake lathered in sugary frosting, so I asked her if I could bring the cake for the non-frosting lovers. At first she said NO, but then we realized that the day of the party was another cousin's actual day of birth. This gave me an excuse to make him a cake since he's a non-frosting lover! With the help of a great friend Laura we made a DELICIOUS Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. It was so good in fact that it disappeared while there were still pieces of the frosting lathered cake left, much to my cousin's dismay. So, if you want to make a cake for your children's birthdays or any other reason, I highly recommend it. Plus it's more fun to do and it's probably less money. The extra effort to bake instead of buying is worth it too!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 inch pan. Cream together butter and shortening. Add sugars and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well to combine evenly. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Use a beater to stir into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop batter into pan and spread to within 1 1/2 inches of sides.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for one hour. Remove wrap and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan. Decorate with icing. Party away!