These Mason Jar Chocolate Chip Dot Cakes are made with layers of soft chocolate chip cookie cake, creamy frosting, and colorful "dot" sprinkles.
Served in individual mason jars, they're an easy dessert for birthdays, parties, and special occasions.
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Table of Contents
- Recipe at a Glance
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Substitutions and Variations
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Insider Tips from My Kitchen to Yours
- Storage & Serving Tips
- Recipe FAQ's
- More Mason Jar Desserts You'll Love!
- LOVE this recipe? SAVE it for Later!
- 🗒️Shopping List
- 📖 Recipe Card
- Layer, Pack, and Serve — Fun Single-Serve Appetizers & Treats
- 💬 Comments
Recipe at a Glance
Prep: 30 min | Cook/Bake: 18 min | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8
Main Ingredients: Butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, chocolate chips, powdered sugar
Why You'll Love It: Made with layers of soft chocolate chip cake, homemade frosting, and Rainbow NonPareils Sprinkles, these individual desserts are easy to assemble and fun to serve.
Best For: Birthday parties, celebrations, family gatherings, and make-ahead desserts.
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is a quick preview of the ingredients you’ll need. For exact amounts, check the recipe card below. You can also use the "Shopping List button" to create a printable shopping list, or the "Get Ingredients button" in the recipe card to order groceries online.
Substitutions and Variations
Switch up the frosting: Use vanilla buttercream, chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, or store-bought frosting for a shortcut.
Try different chips: Substitute milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Add a festive touch: Match the sprinkles to the occasion with holiday colors, school colors, or birthday-themed sprinkles.
Use a different cake flavor: Swap the chocolate chip cake for vanilla cake, funfetti cake, chocolate cake, or even brownies.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides step-by-step photos and instructions to guide you through the recipe. For the complete printable version, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, then spread the batter evenly into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the center is set. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely.
Step 2: Using a 2 - 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut 16 cookies out of the cookie cake. Set them aside.
Step 3: Transfer a few of the leftover cookie scraps to a cutting board and chop them into small pieces. Set aside.
Step 4: Beat the butter, vegetable shortening, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and milk, beating until light and fluffy and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the chopped cake scraps, stirring just until combined.
Step 5: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Place one cookie round in each jar, pipe on a swirl of frosting, add another cookie round, then finish with a final swirl of frosting. Press the tops into the rainbow nonpareil sprinkles.
Insider Tips from My Kitchen to Yours
✔️ DO let the cookie cake cool completely before cutting and layering it into the mason jars so the frosting stays smooth and the layers hold their shape.
❌ DO NOT skip chilling the assembled jars before serving. A short chill time helps the frosting set and gives the layers the best flavor and texture.
Storage & Serving Tips
Refrigerate: Store the assembled mason jar cakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The frosting and cake layers stay fresh and moist when chilled.
Freezer: Freezing is not recommended once the jars are assembled, as the frosting texture may change after thawing. If needed, the baked cake rounds can be frozen separately for up to 2 months.
Thaw and Reheat: If using frozen cake rounds, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before assembling the jars. No reheating is needed.
Serving Tips: Serve chilled or let the jars sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving for a softer texture. Add extra rainbow sprinkles on top just before serving for a colorful finishing touch.
Recipe FAQ's
To view the answers, simply click on the down arrow (⬇) next to each question. If you have any other questions not answered here, please leave a comment!
Yes! Assemble the jars up to 24 hours in advance and store them covered in the refrigerator. Chilling them allows the frosting to set and gives the layers time to meld together.
After chopping about 1 cup of the scraps to fold into the frosting, you may have a few extra pieces left over. Enjoy them as a cook's treat, sprinkle them over ice cream, or use them as a topping for yogurt or pudding.
Absolutely. Four-ounce jars work well for individual servings, but you can adjust the size based on what you have on hand. Keep in mind that larger jars may require additional cake rounds and frosting.
The batter is supposed to be thick and will resemble cookie dough more than a traditional cake batter. This creates the soft, sturdy layers needed to hold up in the mason jars.
More Mason Jar Desserts You'll Love!
If you're a fan of easy, individually portioned desserts, you're going to love these mason jar treats. And if you can't get enough mason jar recipes, be sure to check out my new Mason Jar Recipes eBook for even more sweet ideas.
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🗒️Shopping List
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📖 Recipe Card
Mason Jar Chocolate Chip Dot Cakes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup Rainbow Nonpareil Sprinkles for decorating
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Don't be concerned if the batter seems thick. It should have a consistency similar to cookie dough rather than a traditional cake batter. Spread the batter evenly into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and bake for 18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookie cake cool completely before cutting. To speed up the process, allow it to cool at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer it to the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Using a 2 to 2½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 16 cake rounds. Finely chop the remaining cake scraps and set aside for the frosting. Any extra scraps make a delicious cook's treat.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, vegetable shortening, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and milk, beating until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in about 1 cup of the chopped cake scraps until evenly combined.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Place one cake round in the bottom of each jar, pipe on a swirl of frosting, then add another cake round. Finish with a final swirl of frosting, then gently dip the tops into a shallow bowl of rainbow nonpareil sprinkles to coat the frosting completely.
- Store any leftovers covered or with the lids secured in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Notes
Tips
- Don't be concerned if the batter seems thick. It should have a consistency similar to cookie dough rather than a traditional cake batter.
- Use a round biscuit or cookie cutter that fits comfortably inside your mason jars for neat, even cake layers. Depending on how efficiently you cut the rounds, you may have a few extra cake scraps to enjoy as a "cook's treat."
- For the best flavor and texture, chill the assembled jars for at least 30 minutes before serving so the cake and frosting layers can set.
Storage & Make Ahead
- Store the assembled mason jar cakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavors blend together nicely as they chill.
- To make ahead, bake the cake and prepare the frosting up to 1 day in advance. Assemble the jars when ready to serve or up to a day before your event.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Layer, Pack, and Serve — Fun Single-Serve Appetizers & Treats
Love mason jar recipes? This eBook is packed with easy, fun ideas for meals, desserts, and gifts — perfect for any occasion!
Carol says
These are quite adorable! I keep seeing the dot cake trend, and taking it miniature makes them even cuter. Featuring when my link party opens. Thanks for sharing!