These milk chocolate parfait cookies are thick, dense and full of milk chocolate. A truly unique cookie! These are a copycat recipe of the famous parfait cookie from Jacob Lake Inn!
Parfait Chocolate Cookies
I AM SO EXCITED TO SHARE THIS RECIPE! I always love sharing recipes and only share ones we have made and love but sometimes I am a little more excited. This is one of those times. A few reasons for this. Let me give you a little back story. And if you don’t really care (I don’t blame you) just jump to the recipe! You won’t regret it.
I actually shared a recipe I found online a few years ago. It was the only recipe I could find that was supposed to be like the Jacob Lake Inn parfait cookies. While they are good, they weren’t the exact same. Similar for sure! So, I’ve been working on testing different variations and I FINALLY got it right. The secret is the cake mix powder you add to the dough. Before I added that, the cookies were always too light (not yellow enough) and not dense or thick enough. The cake mix was the answer! It gives it the texture, flavor and color that makes these cookies so delicious!
Here is a photo I snapped of the cookie dough before putting into the oven! And here are a few pictures of the cookies from Instagram! Just so you can see what they look like if you have never been before!
We drive to Utah often to visit family. My in-laws live in the SLC area. Our favorite half-way stop is Jacob Lake Inn. They have a delicious salad and house dressing I love. There is a great chicken/cream cheese/cranberry sandwich I like there as well. And if we don’t stop for lunch, we ALWAYS get a cookie! They have an amazing selection of homemade cookies but this chocolate parfait is mine and my husbands favorite.
The first time I ever visited Jacob Lake Inn was when I was 18. I was on a deer hunt with my dad, brother, sister and sister-in-law. We stayed at the Inn. Since then we have stayed and stopped more times than I can count. And cookies are always a highlight, of course 🙂
What is a Milk Chocolate Parfait Cookie?
These cookies are large & thick. These cookies do not spread in the oven. They have a dense, shortbread like texture/flavor. So good! And truly unique.
Can I use regular milk chocolate chips?
Yes. If you can’t find the milk chocolate thumbprint drops, use guittard milk chocolate chips!
MORE COOKIES!
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (These are such a winning combo or PB & chocolate)
- White Chocolate Snickerdoodles (I love white chocolate. These are so good!)
- Truffle Chocolate Cookies (These are thick and perfect for a chocoholic)
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars (These bars are a total crowd pleaser!)
KEEP IN TOUCH! You can follow me over on Instagram, Pinterest & Facebook. And if you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you, leave a comment and rate the recipe below.
These shortbread cookies are thick and bursting with milk chocolate. The secret is the cake mix added to the dough! These are just like the famous cookies you get at Jacob Lake Inn! But now you can get your fix at home too.
- 1 cup butter, softened (I use salted)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour* (12.5 ounces)
- 1/2 cup yellow cake mix powder (2.5 ounces)
- 1 bag milk chocolate thumbprint drops (Ghirardelli)
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Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees (Use convection if you have it. If you don't you can bake these for longer or up the temperature to 400). Line your half sheets with silpat mats, parchment or bake right on the pan.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the softened butter & sugar until creamy.
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Add the egg and vanilla then mix till smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
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Add the flour, salt, cake mix powder and mix till incorporated. Stir in the chocolate drops. The dough will be thick and a little dry.
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Using a large cookie scoop, place 8 cookies per half sheet. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.
If you are using a convection oven, bake for 9 to 10 min. If you aren't using a convection oven, bake for a little longer 10 to 11 min. Or you can up your oven temp to 400 and bake for 8 to 9 min (if you like a slightly more crisp bottom and sides.)
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Let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
- When measuring flour, always spoon and level (don't pack the flour in. I like to measure my flour in ounces for consistent results, 5 ounces per cup of flour)
- You can make these with vanilla, vanilla bean paste or butter vanilla emulsion.Â
- I found the Ghirardelli milk chocolate thumbprint drops at my Walmart! They are so good in this recipe. Jacob Lake said they use guittard milk chocolate disks. I feel like these are the closest thing you could use that is found at your grocery store :). And if you can't find the thumbprint drops, use guittard milk chocolate chips.
What is cake mix powder? Is it the same as regular cake mix from a box?
yes. just the powder from the box of a yellow cake mix.
You figured it out!! Perfect recipe – the closest I’ve had to Jacob Lake cookie parfaits.
I made some substitutions though because I have no yellow cake powder: I added half a cup of flour and half a teaspoon of baking powder. I’m happy with the outcome. Thank you!!
YAY! so glad you tried them! Good to know they worked with the substitute. Thanks for your feedback!
So amazing that I had to make them twice in one week! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
These are one of my most favorites! I am so glad you like this recipe! It was so fun to figure out a great copycat recipe for one of my favorite cookie spots. Thanks so much for the comment and rating, I appreciate it!
I tried this recipe for the first time today. I followed it to the letter. The cookies were delicious but they spread out. Do you know what I can do so they will hold their shape like the ones at Jacob Lake? I live in AZ and am at around 5,000 feet. Not sure if altitude has anything to do with it.
I would measure your flour if you have a kitchen food scale. If you measure the flour in ounces it should work better. Also, bake at 400 degrees if you don’t have convection bake. The should help!
I followed this recipe to a T, they came out so dry and crumbly… The taste was good, but I was sad because I was really looking forward to having one of my favorite cookies.
It sounds like too much flour was added. Do you spoon and level or weight the flour? And did you use a large egg? Hope that helps! Also, it’s important you don’t over bake them.
I plan on making these for my husband’s birthday next week. We stopped by the Lodge and he bought 6 cookies and I thought he had died and gone to heaven when he ate this one particular cookie. He said it’s the best cookie he’s ever eaten. I have an egg allergy so I was unable to taste them, but they all looked delicious!
I’m praying they’ll turn out just as good as yours!
how did they turn out? these are some of my favorite cookies too!