First time making a cookie cake

[RuneGuardian]

I'm a complete newbie in the kitchen and I am just wondering if there's anything special I should know about baking very massive cookies. My friend's birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and I know he's not really really fond of cake for a rather humorous reason, but I decided I would try and surprise him and make a cookie cake to celebrate his special day because I know he won't object to cookies. What I plan on doing - to fit my budget - is to get some pre-made cookie dough from Wal-Fart, a baking sheet, canned cake icing (preferably the sickeningly sweet kind - brand names, anyone?), and the other kind of canned icing that comes with nozzles for decorating.

I'm not sure how much the dough is going to expand because I've never made chocolate chip cookies before, and I also don't know how much longer to bake this huge cookie as opposed to how much baking time normal cookies would need. Also, would I let this monstrous cookie cool on the sheet or would I have to try and dig it off and transfer it to a cooling rack?

[afbluebelle]

Put tin foil down over the baking sheet so (shiny side up) so the cookie will be easier to get off of the pan.  Whenever I do the giant cookie cake (Roomie hates cake and ice cream, the freak ) I roll the dough out to about 3/8 of an inch (it will spread a bit) so the cookie will cook evenly.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment.  I'm sure you could try googling it though...

[aline]

I usually put down parchment paper for cookies. Tin foil can sometimes attach itself to the cookie, and being the clumsy person I am, that's a guarantee that I'll rip the cookie into 17 pieces trying to get 1/2 of foil to separate.

Getting the cookie dough spread to an even thickness is very important. Otherwise you run the risk of burning the edges and having a doughy center.

Oh, and leave some extra space around the edges of the baking sheet for expansion so that it doesn't run over the sides of the baking sheet.