Cake Cookies

My family’s favorite tradition for our annual Christmas party, birthdays, and other special occasions is my grandmother’s cake cookies. The cookies emerge from the oven light and fluffy, and are spread with a rich chocolate frosting. These much-loved cookies have been a part of every celebration in my life as far back as I can remember, and my memories of biting into the soft, cakey cookies are intertwined with the happiest moments of my life. They were one of the first recipes my grandmother shared with my mother when she married my father, and over the years I’ve spent hours with my grandmother in her kitchen, baking together and perfecting the recipe. 

But while these cookies are so substantive to my childhood, the recipe itself is simple. The dough and frosting come together pretty quickly. You can personalize them by swapping out the chocolate for a different frosting, or by adding almond, pistachio, or coconut extract to the cookies. I love them the way my grandma makes them, with vanilla. They’re perfect in their simplicity.

My grandmother just celebrated her 98th birthday — of course, with a batch of these cookies. At home with my three young daughters, I’m continuing the tradition of making these cookies for the special moments in our lives, whether it’s a holiday or even just a long weekend. When we bake together, I feel like I’m not just getting them comfortable in the kitchen, but also building happy moments around the cookies that generations of our family love. I hope our family tradition will become a part of their lives, too. — Sean Flynn

Frequently asked questions

How do you soften butter?

There are a few ways to soften butter. It’s best if you leave the butter out at room temperature, but if you need soft butter fast, you can also fill a heatproof glass with hot water, let it sit for five minutes, then dump out the water and turn the glass upside down over the butter. The heat in the glass will soften the butter in about 15 minutes.

Why use unsalted butter?

We call for unsalted butter in recipes so you can better control the amount of salt in your cooking. Each brand of butter has a different amount of salt in it. Using unsalted butter means you know exactly how much salt you are adding to your recipe.

Make ahead

The frosting can be made three days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Beat it before using, adding a splash of milk or cream if needed to adjust the consistency.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Make sure the butter used for the cookies and the frosting is completely softened for best results, otherwise, the cookie batter and frosting will be too thick to mix well. Don’t skimp on the mixing time with these cookies; you need to aerate the batter so the cookies bake up to be nice and light.