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Old fashioned Texas Sheet Cake Cookies are chocolate cake in cookie form. Based on the Southern classic Texas Sheet Cake, these cookies are soft and full of rich chocolate flavor.

The chocolate cake cookies aren’t overly sweet themselves, but they are topped with a rich chocolate ganache. Toast the pecans on a baking sheet for a few minutes before the cookies go in to bring out the nutty flavor.

Stop making sheet cake and make these cookies instead.

Sheet cakes are popular because they feed a crowed and come in a variety of flavors like key lime sheet cake and apple butter sheet cake.

But I’m more of a cookie girl, so anytime I have the chance, I’m making sheet pan cookies, boxed cake mix cookies or snickerdoodles. If I have the chance to turn a classic dessert into cookies, I do!

This Texas sheet cake cookies recipe reminds me of the “cookies” in whoopie pies. They are like a thin chocolate cake, but you can slightly underbake the cookies by a minute or two to give them more of a gooey center. The cookies may slightly sink in the middle right when they come out of the oven but once you add the toppings, it will all even out.

These delicious cookies are excellent served after our Texas hash or lemon chicken sheet pan dinner.

Enjoy! -Julie

Ingredients Needed

texas sheet cake cookies ingredients on a table

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

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Old fashioned Texas Sheet Cake Cookies are chocolate cake in cookie form. Based on the Southern classic Texas Sheet Cake, these cookies are soft and full of rich chocolate flavor.

Servings 12

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Cool Time 10

Total Time 35

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Ingredients

For the Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Ganache Topping:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 chopped pecans toasted, or walnuts

Instructions

Set your oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Add the butter into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low until the butter is about half melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and slowly stir continuously until the butter is fully melted and the powder is totally incorporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine the sugar, egg, vanilla extract and sour cream in a mixing bowl until totally smooth. Slowly pour in the cocoa butter mixture and gently stir to combine.
In a larger bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk together. Pour in the wet mixture and whisk together until just combined. Do not overmix. The mixture will thicken and should resemble a cross between cake batter and brownie batter.
Scoop 6 even portions of cookie dough onto two separate baking sheets (for a total of 12 cookies), leaving at least 2 inches of space between cookies as they will spread. I highly recommend using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, so that your cookies are the same size. Bake cookies in two batches. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, until the tops are uniform in color and the edges hold shape. Leave them on the sheet for 5-7 minutes and then move them to a wire rack.
Prepare the ganache while the cookies are cooling. Place the chocolate chips and butter into a heat safe mixing bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. The cream should be hot but frothing. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes. Then stir continuously until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is nice and glossy. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt until combined.
Top the cookies with an even sprinkle of chopped, toasted pecans. Then spoon a tablespoon or so of ganache over the pecans and cookies. Allow the ganache to set and cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

It’s really important to not over mix the cookie batter when you add the wet and dry ingredients together. I use a whisk and stop when the batter has thickened. If you over mix past this point, your cookies will end up really tough and not cake-like.
To toast the pecans, sprinkle them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for a few minutes before baking the cookies. This will bring out the nutty flavor and add more richness to the nuts and cookies.
The cookie batter is not overly sweet but the ganache gives a richness to the cookies. If you like really sweet cookies, you can add ¼ cup more sugar.
Slightly underbake the cookies by a minute or two to give them more of a gooey center. The cookies may slightly sink in the middle right when they come out of the oven but once you add the toppings, it will all even out. As long as they are not raw on the inside it’s okay. If you want the cake-like center, leave them in around 9 minutes.
Store the cookies in an airtight container and at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 269

Keyword chocolate cookies, EASY COOKIE RECIPE

How to Make Texas Sheet Cake Cookies: Step by Step

Prepare. Set your oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the chocolate syrup. Add the butter into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low until the butter is about half melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and slowly stir continuously until the butter is fully melted and the powder is totally incorporated. Set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the sugar, egg, vanilla extract and sour cream in a mixing bowl until totally smooth. Slowly pour in the cocoa butter mixture and gently stir to combine.

Mix the cookie batter. In a larger bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk together. Pour in the wet mixture and whisk together until just combined. Do not overmix. The mixture will resemble a cross between cake batter and brownie batter.

Portion the cookie batter and bake. Scoop 6 even portions of cookie dough onto two separate baking sheets (for a total of 12 cookies), leaving space for the cookies to spread. Each cookie should be about 2 tablespoonfuls of dough. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Leave them on the sheet for 5-7 minutes as they will be very soft, and then move them to a cooling rack.

unbaked chocolate cookies on a baking sheet

Make the chocolate frosting and frost the cookies. Prepare the ganache while the cookies are cooling. Place the chocolate chips and butter into a heat safe mixing bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes. Then stir continuously until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is shiny. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Top the cookies with an even sprinkle of chopped, toasted pecans. Then spoon a tablespoon or so of ganache over the pecans and cookies.