Easy Homemade Giant Birthday Cookie Cake Recipe: Your Ultimate Guide (+ Free Stencils!)
Forget the hassle of store-bought options and elevate your celebrations with this incredibly easy, show-stopping GIANT birthday cookie cake! This isn’t just any cookie cake recipe; it’s a perfectly chewy, richly chocolatey, and delightfully celebratory treat that will be the highlight of any party. Best of all, it comes with a FREE set of number templates, making decoration a breeze and ensuring your cookie cake looks professionally made every time.
No round cookie cake pan on hand? No problem! You can easily grab an affordable one on Amazon, craft a simple DIY foil cookie cake pan using a large mixing bowl, or adapt this recipe into delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars baked in a standard 9×13 inch pan! We’ve got options for every baker.
Ever wondered how to make a giant cookie cake from scratch? I promise you, it’s far simpler than you might imagine! Follow my comprehensive, step-by-step instructions below, which not only guide you through baking the perfect chewy cookie but also include a brilliant method and template for piping adorable numbers right on top. This makes it perfect for birthday celebrations of all ages!
After the incredible popularity of my Homemade Cookie Cake Recipe, I realized many of you needed an even EASIER way to beautifully decorate it for birthdays. Let’s be honest, piping intricate words can be quite challenging, even for experienced bakers. So, while this recipe uses the same beloved “base” cookie, we’re taking it up a notch by doubling the frosting and utilizing my free printable number template. This combination allows you to create a simple, yet utterly stunning cookie cake design that looks like it came straight from a professional bakery!
To complete your masterpiece, just add a generous sprinkle of colorful sprinkles, a dollop of creamy buttercream frosting, and a few celebratory candles. The result is a fun, delicious, and memorable alternative to a traditional birthday cake that everyone will adore. Get ready to bake a giant smile!
Essential Ingredients & Equipment: Crafting Your Giant Birthday Cookie Cake
Creating a spectacular giant birthday cookie cake doesn’t require a professional kitchen. With a few key ingredients and basic tools, you’ll be on your way to baking a memorable treat. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need for both the deliciously chewy cookie base and the smooth, pipeable vanilla buttercream.
For the Giant Chewy Cookie Cake Base:
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter is crucial here. Unlike creaming butter and sugar for fluffy cookies, melting it contributes to the dense, chewy texture we’re aiming for in a cookie cake.
- Light brown sugar & granulated sugar: The combination of these two sugars creates the perfect balance of sweetness and moisture. Brown sugar adds depth of flavor and ensures a wonderfully soft and chewy interior.
- Large Egg: Acts as a binder and adds moisture, helping to create a rich, cohesive dough.
- Vanilla extract: A must-have for classic cookie flavor! Use a good quality extract for the best taste.
- Baking soda, baking powder, and salt: The leavening agents that give the cookie cake its slight rise and soft texture, while salt balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
- All-purpose flour: The structural foundation of our cookie cake. Measure it correctly for the best results (preferably by weight).
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: The star of the show! We’ll be using these in a unique way to maximize chocolatey goodness in every bite.
- 10.5″ Metal Round Pan: This is the ideal size for our giant cookie cake, ensuring even baking and a beautiful round shape. If you don’t have one, consider making a Wilton pan from Amazon or check out the instructions for a DIY foil pan in my original post.
Customize your cookie cake to perfection! While a classic chocolate chip cookie cake is always a hit, feel free to get creative with your mix-ins. Want a festive M&M cookie cake? Go for it! You can also fold in crushed Oreos, colorful sprinkles, crunchy toffee bits, creamy peanut butter chips, or any other favorite cookie additions. If you prefer a rectangular treat or plan to bake in a 9×13 inch pan, I recommend using my Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe, which is perfectly adjusted to fill a larger pan for a thicker, more satisfying bar.
@designeatrepeat The BEST homemade cookie cake – soft, chewy, and perfectly sliceable 🍪 #cookiedecorating #cookiecake #birthday #baking #recipe #imobsessed
♬ Stories 2 – Danilo Stankovic
For the Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- Unsalted butter: For the best, creamiest frosting, allow your butter to come to room temperature. This makes it easier to whip into a smooth, dreamy consistency. Cold butter will result in a lumpy frosting that’s much harder to pipe.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar. This fine sugar dissolves easily, creating a smooth, grit-free frosting.
- Vanilla extract: Essential for that classic, comforting vanilla flavor.
- Pinch of salt: Just a touch of salt helps to cut through the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor of the frosting.
- Milk: You can use any milk you have available, but for the richest, creamiest buttercream, whole milk is highly recommended. It helps achieve the perfect consistency for piping.
- Piping Bag & Tips (optional, but highly recommended for a professional look):
- Large star piping tip (e.g., Wilton 1M or 849) for creating beautiful borders.
- #5 round piping tip (e.g., Wilton #5) for cleanly piping numbers.
- Printable Number Stencils: Your secret weapon for perfectly shaped numbers!
PS. This specific buttercream frosting recipe is designed to harden just enough to keep your decorations intact, making it less messy when little hands grab their delicious cookie pieces.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make the Best Birthday Cookie Cake Recipe
Let’s dive into the fun part! Follow these detailed steps to bake and decorate your impressive giant birthday cookie cake.
Step 1: The Secret to Ultimate Chocolate Flavor – Crush Half the Chocolate Chips
This initial step is key to making your chocolate chip birthday cookie cake intensely chocolatey. Place ½ cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips into a sturdy zip-top plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to firmly break them into smaller bits and pieces. This creates tiny chocolate flakes that will be dispersed throughout the dough, ensuring a burst of chocolate in every single bite. The remaining whole chocolate chips will provide that irresistible chunky texture everyone loves in a classic chocolate chip cookie.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a rolling pin, a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a heavy glass can work wonders. Just be cautious – when pounding the chocolate, tiny holes might form in the bag. You might want to double-bag it for extra security!
Step 2: Crafting the Perfect Chewy Cookie Dough
Begin by melting your unsalted butter in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan. Once just melted (not sizzling!), pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add both the light brown sugar and granulated sugar, then use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to stir them together until well combined. Next, mix in the large egg and vanilla extract. Follow this with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mixing until fully incorporated. Finally, add the all-purpose flour and gently stir until just combined – be careful not to overmix! Once the flour streaks are almost gone, fold in your chocolate chips: both the crushed ones and the whole ones, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 3: Pressing the Dough for an Even Bake
Prepare your 10.5-inch round pan by greasing it thoroughly or lining it with parchment paper for easy removal. Using a spoon or clean hands, drop small, evenly sized pieces of cookie dough all over the bottom of the pan. This technique is vital for achieving a consistently even cookie cake. Once all the dough is in the pan, use a spatula or your hands to gently but firmly press the dough down into a smooth, even layer. Take care to ensure the chocolate chips are well distributed and not clumped together. Clumps of chocolate can create weak spots in the cookie cake, making it more prone to breaking when you cut it later.
Step 4: Baking for Perfect Chewiness
Place your prepared cookie cake pan into a preheated oven and bake at 350ºF (175ºC) for 12 to 14 minutes. It’s important not to overbake! At this stage, the cake might not appear fully “done” in the center, but trust the process. The residual heat from the metal pan will continue to bake the cookie cake slightly after it’s removed from the oven. This crucial technique ensures a perfectly soft and chewy cookie, which is exactly what you want. An overbaked or crunchy cookie cake will be difficult to cut and may crumble, losing that signature tender texture.
How to tell when your birthday cookie cake is perfectly baked? It should look slightly underbaked in the very center, but the top will have a beautiful golden-brown hue, and the edges will feel dry to the touch, not doughy or sticky. Every oven is different, so keep a close eye on it!
Step 5: The Patience of Cooling (and Easy Removal!)
Good things truly come to those who wait, and this certainly applies to giant birthday cookie cakes. For a successful and clean removal from the pan, your cookie cake needs to be completely cool. Attempting to remove it while warm risks it breaking apart. While you wait for your cookie cake to cool to room temperature, you can prepare your delicious vanilla buttercream frosting. This also gives the cookie structure time to set.
Once fully cooled, carefully run a thin butterknife all along the inner edges of the pan to loosen the cookie cake. Place a flat serving platter or a large cutting board on top of the pan. With a quick and confident motion, carefully flip the pan over – the cookie cake should slide out easily onto your platter. Then, place your final serving dish over the cookie cake and flip it one more time so it’s right-side up and ready for decoration.
Presentation Tip: For effortless serving and a festive touch, I love using these charming paper serving platters. The largest size in the pack is absolutely perfect for a 10.5-inch cookie cake, making it easy to transport and serve!
Step 6: The Fun Part – Decorating Your Masterpiece!
Now, for the most exciting step – decorating your incredible cookie cake! With the invaluable help of my free number template, you absolutely do not need to be a professional cake decorator to achieve a stunning, professional-looking birthday cookie cake. I promise, it’s that easy!
So, how do you decorate a giant cookie cake with flair? You have options! You can use my homemade vanilla buttercream recipe (detailed in the recipe card below) for a fresh, delicious taste, or opt for the convenience of store-bought frosting in a can or tube. Both work well for these decorating techniques.
- Print and Prep Your Template: If you plan to add a specific number to the center of your cookie cake, print out the desired page from my free printable number template. Carefully use an X-Acto knife or sharp scissors to cut out the center of the number, creating your stencil.
- Pipe the Festive Border: Load your piping bag fitted with a large star tip (like a Wilton 1M or 849) with your buttercream frosting. Pipe uniform-sized stars or a continuous shell border all along the edge of your cookie cake. If you’re using sprinkles, scatter them over the freshly piped frosting immediately after you’re finished with the border, so they adhere nicely before the frosting starts to set.
- Pipe the Personalized Number: Gently lay your cut-out number stencil in the very center of the cookie cake. Using a piping bag fitted with a #5 round piping tip, pipe small dots along the inner border of the stencil. Once the outline is complete, fill in the rest of the number with more small dots until it’s fully covered and visually appealing. Carefully lift the stencil away, and voilà – a perfectly shaped number!
Piping Tip #1 – No Fancy Equipment? No Problem! If you don’t have dedicated piping bags or metal tips, you can always improvise. Simply scoop your frosting into a sturdy zip-top bag and snip off a tiny corner. While it won’t be quite as decorative as using professional tips, it will get the job done for the border. However, for neatly piping the numbers, I strongly suggest investing in a basic piping tip (the #5 round tip is very versatile). A snipped bag corner alone can be challenging to achieve a clean, defined number.
Piping Tip #2 – Double-Digit Celebrations: For double-digit birthdays, simply print off the two separate number pages from the template. It’s best to pipe the outlines of both numbers first, then go back and fill them in. If you fill in one completely before outlining the other, you might accidentally smudge or ruin the first number while maneuvering. If you’re using a pan smaller than the 10.5-inch round, fitting double digits might be tight, but you can always design your own smaller templates using your favorite fonts or opt for a single, larger number.
Step 7: The Grand Finale – Cut and Serve Your Delicious Cookie Cake!
After the joyful rendition of “Happy Birthday” and the guest of honor has made their wish and blown out the candles, it’s finally time to slice into this magnificent birthday cookie cake! Use a sharp chef’s knife for clean cuts. You can choose to cut it into traditional triangle-shaped wedges, just like a classic cake, or opt for smaller squares, depending on how many people you’re serving and portion preferences. Enjoy watching everyone’s faces light up as they dig into this delightful treat!
Convenience Tip: One of the best things about a cookie cake is its portability! Since you don’t necessarily need a fork to eat this sturdy and satisfying dessert, you can serve slices on festive napkins instead of plates, making cleanup a breeze, especially for casual parties or outdoor gatherings.
More Fun & Creative Birthday Cookie Cake Decorating Ideas:
Of course, your cookie cake frosting and decoration choices should perfectly match the spirit of your celebration! For even more happy birthday cookie cake inspiration, make sure to explore over 75+ incredible reader photos on my Pinterest board – the creativity is truly amazing (as shown below)!
- For a Glam 21st Birthday Cookie Cake: Add a touch of elegance with edible gold dust or shimmering glitter mixed into your frosting. Metallic star sprinkles can also add a super fun, celebratory sparkle!
- Whimsical Kids’ Birthday Cookie Cake: Unleash your creativity by using food coloring to tint your buttercream different vibrant shades. Coordinate the colors with your party’s theme, whether it’s a mermaid party, superhero bash, or rainbow celebration.
- Ultimate Chocolate Lovers’ Birthday Cookie Cake: Swap out the vanilla buttercream for a rich, indulgent chocolate frosting. For better piping stability, you can add a bit more powdered sugar to the chocolate frosting recipe.
- Themed Birthday Cookie Cake with Ease: If your little one is set on an Elmo, unicorn, or dinosaur cake, you don’t need to be an expert sculptor. Use your frosting to decorate a simple border and then purchase an adorable cake topper for the middle to instantly elevate the theme.
- Funny & Personalized Cookie Cakes: Make the birthday person laugh! Add a witty phrase, a funny inside joke, or a playful message to make the cookie cake uniquely personal and memorable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Giant Birthday Cookie Cakes:
For the festive border around the cookie cake, I used a Wilton 849 Piping Tip, which creates beautiful, defined stars. For piping the numbers using the stencil, I found the Wilton Round #5 tip to be perfect for its clean, precise lines.
If you don’t have dedicated piping bags or metal tips, you can certainly use a sturdy zip-top bag with a small corner snipped off for the border. However, for the best results and a cleaner, more professional look when piping numbers, I highly recommend using a proper piping tip like the #5 round. It makes a significant difference in precision and ease of decoration.
While the idea of using store-bought cookie dough for convenience is tempting, my experience shows that making a cookie cake from scratch yields the best results. A homemade cookie cake is significantly sturdier, which is crucial for handling, cutting, and serving. This particular recipe is also perfectly proportioned to create a substantial, giant cookie cake. That said, if you’re truly pressed for time, you could certainly apply my decoration ideas and free stencils to a premade dough base, but be aware it might not hold up quite as well or have the same rich, chewy texture.
For optimal freshness, your birthday cookie cake is best stored covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you’ve used homemade buttercream frosting, I recommend refrigerating the cake if it won’t be eaten within a day, especially in warmer climates. The high sugar content in the frosting helps preserve it, but refrigeration adds an extra layer of safety. Keep in mind, however, that chilling cookie cakes can sometimes dry them out slightly. For the freshest flavor and texture, it’s ideal to make and enjoy this cake no more than one or two days before your event.
Absolutely! The only thing better than a giant birthday cookie cake is two giant cookie cakes layered on top of each other, creating an even more impressive dessert! Many readers have successfully made layered versions and shared stunning photos on Pinterest. For a double-layer cookie cake, you’ll need to double the frosting recipe to ensure you have enough for both the middle filling and the outer decoration. Bake each cookie dough batch in separate 9-inch round pans. You might also want to add a few extra minutes to the baking time for each layer to make the cookies slightly sturdier, which will help them hold up better for layering. For more inspiration on layered designs and other cookie cake ideas, browse through the 70+ reader photos uploaded on Pinterest!
Essentially, yes, but with important adjustments! While it shares the delicious essence of a large chocolate chip cookie, this specific recipe is carefully formulated to ensure it has the perfect balance of a soft, chewy texture while still being sturdy enough to be easily cut into neat wedges without crumbling. In other words, you can’t just take any chocolate chip cookie recipe and scale it up; special considerations are needed for a successful cookie cake. This easy chocolate chip cookie cake recipe was developed specifically for this purpose, guaranteeing a delightful result every time. If you’re looking for other variations, I also have fantastic recipes for a sugar cookie cake and a Chewy M&M Cookie Cake that you might love to try!
Giant Birthday Cookie Cake (+ Free Stencils!)
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Ingredients
For the Chewy Birthday Cookie Cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips You’ll chop ½ cup for the dough and add the remaining ½ cup whole.
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of Salt
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
Before you begin! If you make this delicious cookie cake, would you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating below? Your feedback helps my small business thrive, allowing me to continue providing free, high-quality recipes and content for you. Thank you!
Instructions
For the Giant Birthday Cookie Cake:
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Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175ºC).
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In a zip-top plastic bag, place ½ cup of the chocolate chips. Use a rolling pin (or a meat tenderizer) to break them down into small, irregular pieces. Set these aside, along with the other ½ cup of whole, unchopped chocolate chips. This mixture of textures is key for maximum chocolate flavor and a classic cookie cake feel.
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In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the ½ cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter for about 20-30 seconds, until it’s just melted and runny, but not sizzling hot.
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Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the ¼ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir them together until well combined. (Remember: do not use an electric mixer here! Hand mixing is essential for a chewy cookie cake). Stir in the 1 large egg and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract. Next, add the ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt, mixing again until incorporated. Finally, add the 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and mix gently until just combined and the flour streaks have disappeared. Be careful not to overmix.
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Fold in the ½ cup of chopped chocolate chips and the ½ cup of whole chocolate chips into the dough until evenly distributed. Immediately proceed to pressing the dough into the pan, as you don’t want the dough to sit out too long and set due to the melted butter.
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Lightly grease a 10.5″ metal cookie cake pan. If you’re concerned about sticking, you can line the bottom and sides with parchment paper first. Using a spoon or clean hands, drop small chunks of dough evenly across the pan. This helps ensure even dispersion for easy smoothing. Once all dough is in, use a spatula or your hands to press the dough into a smooth, even layer, making sure to reach all the corners and edges.
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Quick Tip: If you notice any small clumps of 2-3 chocolate chips stuck together, separate them before baking. This ensures the chocolate is evenly dispersed and prevents a large cluster in one spot, which could make the cookie cake more prone to breaking when cut.
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Bake at 350℉ (175ºC) for 12-14 minutes. It’s crucial not to overbake; an underbaked center contributes to a soft, chewy texture. The cookie cake should have a slightly golden-brown top and edges that feel dry, but the very center will still look a bit soft (my oven is perfect at 12 minutes). Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the cookie cake to cool completely in the pan before attempting to remove or decorate it. Patience is key here!
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To remove the cooled cookie cake from the pan, first run a thin knife around all the edges to loosen it. Place a flat serving platter or cutting board on top of the pan, then carefully and quickly flip the pan over. The cookie cake should slide out smoothly (especially if you used parchment paper). After it’s out, place your final serving plate or platter over the cookie cake and flip it one more time to have it right-side up and ready for decoration.
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
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In a large mixing bowl, beat the ½ cup of softened unsalted butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until it’s light, fluffy, and smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, until fully incorporated. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, then increase the mixer speed to medium. While mixing, add the milk (starting with 2 tablespoons) one tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired creamy, pipeable consistency. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes until it’s perfectly smooth and creamy. If the frosting seems too runny, add a little more powdered sugar; if it’s too stiff, add a tiny bit more milk until you achieve the right consistency.
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Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star piping tip*. Pipe a decorative border around the edges of your cooled cookie cake. Immediately after piping the border, generously sprinkle on your chosen sprinkles – the frosting will begin to set quickly, so swift action ensures they stick well! This recipe makes enough frosting for both a border and a number (or two!) in the center. If you only plan to pipe a border, you can easily halve this frosting recipe.
To pipe a number, print off my free number template to use as a stencil. Refer to the detailed photos and instructions in the blog post above for the best technique!
One Last Step! Please take a moment to leave a review and rating for this recipe! Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps my small business grow, enabling me to continue creating and sharing delicious, free recipes and high-quality content for you. Thank you for your support!
Recipe Notes & Expert Tips
Specific Piping Tips Used: As mentioned in the decoration steps, for the elegant border, I used a Wilton 849 Piping Tip. For crisp and clean numbers, the Wilton Round #5 tip worked perfectly.
Alternatives for Round Pan: No 10.5″ round pan? Don’t fret! You can bake this recipe in a 9×13 inch pan, though the resulting cookie cake will be slightly thinner. Alternatively, you can craft a resourceful DIY cookie cake pan using a large mixing bowl (approximately 10.5″ in diameter) and aluminum foil. Instructions for this creative hack are available in my original cookie cake post. Be aware that DIY foil pans, lacking the heat conduction of metal, typically require an additional 4-6 minutes of baking time.
Frosting and Make-Ahead Tip: This homemade buttercream develops a slight crust as it sets, making it an excellent frosting to prepare a day in advance. Thanks to its high sugar content, you generally don’t need to refrigerate the frosted cookie cake if you plan to enjoy it within 1 day at room temperature. For longer storage or if making it further in advance, gently wrap the frosted cookie cake (after the frosting has fully set) and store it in the refrigerator.
Freezing and Advance Preparation: I typically don’t recommend freezing baked chocolate chip cookies as they can sometimes become dry and lose their signature chewiness. However, if you absolutely need to prepare this in advance, you can bake and cool the cookie cake without frosting. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then an additional layer of foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, thaw it to room temperature and then proceed with frosting and decorating on the day of your event.
Doubling the Recipe for a Larger Crowd: You can double this recipe, but you’ll need a significantly larger pan than 10 inches to maintain the desired ½” dough thickness. For example, a 14-16 inch round pan might work. Remember that a thicker dough will require a longer baking time and might alter the traditional chewy texture slightly. For a truly impressive and thicker dessert, I suggest baking two separate cakes and then layering them with frosting in between. Alternatively, for a thicker rectangular cake baked in a 9×13 pan, my dedicated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar recipe is designed for that purpose.
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only, based on 12 servings. Actual values may vary.
Nutrition Facts
If you create this fantastic giant birthday cookie cake, please be sure to leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram @designeatrepeat. I absolutely LOVE seeing your delicious creations and how you celebrate!