In Which a Classic Cookie Becomes a Totally Unusual Cake…

Starbucks' Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

“What is that monstrosity, Midge?!” a colleague asked when I opened the little white box I’d ferried up from our friendly neighborhood Starbucks.

The dessert within had fallen onto its side: a layered confection described by the tag marking it in the cafe display case as a chocolate chip cookie-cake; more accurately, a warm chocolate chip cookie-cake.

The name pretty much describes it in full: chocolate chip cookie dough baked as a layer cake with rich chocolate fudge (it was a tad too sugary to be a proper ganache, alas) sandwiched within and spread on top like frosting.  As if that weren’t Baroque enough, your friendly neighborhood barista will squirt on clouds of fresh whipped cream and drizzle copious amounts of caramel sauce over all.

So, how was it?  Rich – and, admittedly I rarely say this about desserts, somehow a touch too rich even for me!  You get the buttery richness of the cookie dough overlaid with the bittersweet flavor of the fudge and spiked a bit by the touch of salted butter in the caramel.  The cream serves as a foil to all the sweetness, but it is every bit as rich as the rest of this dessert, so your throat starts to catch by the third bite.

To be fair, it is good.  However, I don’t recommend this as a dessert to eat on your own no matter how depressed you are!  I do recommend sharing this with a friend – and don’t forget the espressos as they’re the perfect counterpoint to all the sweetness.