Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
The BEST Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. The Famous Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that everyone goes crazy over!
I've got issues.
I am a cookie junkie of epic proportions.
There's probably a support group somewhere for people like me.
When I was a teenager, I would go to the library and thumb through cookbooks to find every single chocolate chip cookie recipe and would beg my Mom to try out the recipe creations almost daily. Issues, I tell you.
I started off by following recipes and then I thought....let's take a walk on the wild side and start experimenting by throwing stuff in and see what happens. What's the worst that can happen? Well, that's another story. Little tweaks here and there were the difference makers - browning the butter, raising or lowering the temperature of the oven, and trying out some interesting ingredients.
When I won a trip to NYC to film a perfect cookie segment for the Cooking Channel's Perfect 3 Show in the Food Network studios, I went online to seek out the best bakeries in Manhattan. The highest rated cookie was awarded to Levain Bakery and I knew that it had to be mine. Pronto.
Oh, and it was legit. Legit and different. Unique in such a way that I had to figure out how in the world they did it. I became a mad scientist in the kitchen to figure out the how to make the Famous Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I developed a massive crush on a cookie.
I have never, ever worked on a recipe as much as this one. Another trip had to be made to NYC in the name of food science to do some more investigative research. A trip to the Truvia Baking Star competition in NYC meant multiple trips to buy my favorite cookie. We rode our bikes in the freezing cold just for that one bite. By the time we arrived, my feet were frozen, but sacrifices have to be made, right?
I came home and tweaked some more and then it happened.... that glorious batch was perfection and I finally had it.
I was taught in kindergarten that it's nice to share so that's what I am doing. Sharing my years of experimenting so we can all have Levain at home. It's just the right thing to do.
Let's start with the basics.
Use cold butter. Cut into small cubes. Since you are collecting it straight out of the fridge, you need to cut it into small pieces so the butter and sugar can become friends and make a creamy masterpiece. It takes about 4 minutes for them to warm up and become besties.
This is where it's all over for me....cookie dough. It's my kryptonite, unfortunately, and I blame my hips on this goodness. Who else loves this stuff?
Now, these aren't some ordinary bite-size cookies. No these are a full-on meal. Well maybe for some people. Here's the deal - you make them big. Really big. Like only four can fit on a cookie sheet, BIG. These are the BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER. Yep, I said it.
Usually, with thick cookies, they turn out like hockey pucks - cakey messes that hardly resemble a gooey cookie.
This is where these are different. We are going to crank up the heat in the oven to cook the outside quickly and leave that center nice, warm and gooey. As a cookie should be.
There are a few ingredients and techniques that set these cookies apart. First, you use cornstarch to add thickness without making the cookie dry. It does wonders in these cookies! Using cake flour also lends to a more tender cookie but you can also substitute all-purpose flour. Here's one of my favorite cake flours -- King Arthur Cake Flour
I am a huge fan of using nonstick silicone baking mats (Silpat) placed on top of the cookie sheets, which allows the cookies to be easily removed from the pan and to bake nicely. My cousin gave me a set as a gift years ago and I had no idea what I was missing out on! These are ones I have loved --Silicone Baking Sheets - 2 pack
You may want to eat these Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies the second they come out of the oven, but patience is a virtue and you must exercise some with these cookies. They need to "set up" so give them at least 10-15 minutes before you devour them. The amazing part of these cookies is that they are the only cookies I have ever made that are still cookie perfection even after a few days.
If you LOVE these cookies, you will love these other Levain Bakery copycat recipes:
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cold Butter cut into small cubes
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Cake Flour*
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Chocolate Chips
- 2 cups Walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cold cubed butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
- Stir in flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Separate dough into large balls and place on lightly colored cookie sheet. They are bigger than you think! You will fit 4 cookies on one large cookie sheet. The dough makes 8 extra large cookies.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes to set.
Video
Notes
Pin on Pinterest:
Now go make some Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies! You need one (or two or three....no judging here) of these warm, gooey cookies, a big glass of cold milk and a to-do list with nothing on it except catching up on Netflix or those cheesy Holiday Hallmark movies that somehow keep playing on my TV.
If you are a huge fan of Levain Bakery cookies or just eating the best chocolate chip cookies, you will love my other copycat recipes -- Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies and Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Come follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Happy Baking!
Heather
Great recipe with one change. I freeze my cookies for 90 minutes before cooking. This way they stay nice and fat and don't flatten out. I think that's the only thing missing from this recipe. Oh and I do add the vanilla 🙂
Cassandra
You might have over mixed your dough which makes the cookies spread during baking
Tanya sobek
I always freeze cookie dough. Most pastry chefs call for it. It does make a-big difference in flavor and spread of cookies. Even if u mix by hand some cookies spread much. I also use Bak. Powder instead of soda.
Tony
Hi Tanya,
Just curious about baking powder vs soda - how do the end result cookies differ? Taste? Texture? Thanks!
Natalya
Do you adjust baking time when you freeze the dough? Pop out of the freezer and straight into the over at 410 degrees?
Hattie
i also freeze the dough. in addition i put the butter in the freezer in the metal mixing bowl for 10 minutes. soon as everything is almost incorporated, i stop mixing and finish by had with a rubber spatual. i don't add vanilla but i do think this recipe is great. i happen to have a levain in the house and i compared it. the levain is just a little more cake like and less glossy than mine. however, in a day they were all eaten. that says it all
Katie
Hello,
Can these cookies be made without brown sugar by being replaced with normal sugar? Or is there another substitute?
Thanks,
Katie
Tanyac
Most cho. Chip cookies can be made with all gran. Sugar.up won’t get the same intense caramel flavor but will be good.
Kelly
This may be the most perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Crispy on the outside. Chewy and buttery on the inside with the right amount of chocolate chips. Thank you!
Lailah
I made these for a friend and they turned out amazing and they were beautiful on the outside and inside. I got lots of compliments for this recipe 🙂
Brenda
I do would like the answer to Marissa from November 16. I kept looking at the recipe and wondering do I add all that flour - 1 1/2 all purpose AND 1 1/2 cups cake flour.
Modern Honey
Hi there! So it is 3 cups of flour total. 🙂 You can use 3 cups of all-purpose flour or 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose plus 1 1/2 cups of cake flour. 🙂
Marissa
Do I add just the 1.5 cups flour? Or add an additional 1.5 cups if not using cake flour?
Sherice
Left home (NYC) and haven’t had one of these cookies in about 7 or 8 years, and they’re unforgettable. Tried this recipe and it is literally the best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried, and is now my fav; added a whole Dove dark chocolate bar with milk chocolate morsels and I can’t stop eating. Amazing. Thank you!
Lauren E
Dear Melissa,
You are so talented! Congratulations on this recipe, as well as ALL of your recipes. While I've never tried a Levain cookie, this cookie of yours is very good. I have made it as directed, always cutting the recipe in half, as it's easily divisible by two, but as directed nonetheless. This time, I decided to try to make it Vegan. While I am not Vegan, I work in an office where everyone seems to follow some particular diet. I substituted Earth Balance butter sticks for the butter in your recipe, and for the eggs, I substituted Almond Milk (1/4 cup per egg). While I found I needed to add a couple of tablespoons (2-4) of flour (AP), as the dough seemed too wet, the cookies came out exactly like the non-Vegan version. I was shocked, but it was a fun and rewarding experience. I wanted to share this in case anyone else was wondering about how to make this a Vegan recipe! (Every other ingredient I used was as directed, including both kinds of flour AND the suggested Vanilla.) I also chilled the dough overnight, and then formed the cookie dough balls the following day.
Thank you for your hard work,
Lauren
Sherice
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing Lauren!
Anna
These turned out great. Everyone was a fan of them warm with milk. Used a scale to make sure they were all the same size. 6.5 oz. Followed the recipe very closely. I did refrigerate the formed cookie dough balls overnight because of a busy schedule and used a mix of two different types and sizes of chocolate chips (both semisweet). I was wondering if everyone else packed or loosely filled their cup with brown sugar? I wasn't exactly sure since it isn't stated so I kind of compromised.
Jay Abramson
Brown sugar is always a challenge with recipes, so I just converted the 1 cup to 200 grams and measured it using my trusty scale. I actually do that for the flours and regular sugar as well and find it easier.
Derek
Is there a way to put the ingredients list by weight in grams?
Yasmin
I’ve tried ur recipe was best ever cookies from all recipe i re bake that I couldn’t mentioning. God blessed and keep sharing best recipe????????
Jen
These are the best cookies I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot!
I used vanilla and pecans instead of walnuts.
My family can’t get enough.
Hannah P.
DELICIOUS! One of the BEST cookies I’ve ever had!
Mandy
I use milk chocolate morsels, so much better! I also melt the butter to a very soft consistency as it's easier to mix & let the dough sit in fridge for 1-2 days before baking.
I been using the recie for almost a yr & EVERYONE I mean EVERYONE Loves them & always requests these cookies. so so good!
Cat Corigliano
How do you adapt to higher altitude?
ANa ACHAVAL
Hello I love your recipe, the only problem is that where I live I only get plain flour, what changes can I make to get the recipe perfectly
Jean Shirley
Make your own cake flour- take 1 cup of flour and remove 2 level tablespoons of the flour and replace with 2 level tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift repeatedly-maybe 3-4 times to make sure that mixture is nicely incorporated prior to adding into recipe! ???? J
Jasmin Morgan
Can I just use all brown sugar if I do not have white sugar? TIA!
Florentina
I made these today and I have to say that for homemade cookies, these are perfect. I used all-purpose flour and forgot to chop the walnuts, which also were older, but it still turned out good. Furthermore, I recommend using good quality walnuts and chop them for best results. I will definitely save this recipe and make it again.
Maaike
these are absolutely amazing! Will try making these with brown butter next time to make them next level. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Tiara
This recipe is perfect! Just like Levain cookies! I’ve made these twice. Followed the recipe exactly each time. Second time, I halved the recipe which made 4 big cookies. They came out perfect each time. Wonderfully ooey and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. Only thing I did different was bake them for 20 minutes as suggested by others because the cookies seemed quite pale after only 12 minutes of baking. This is a must try and a new staple for me.
Lorena
I made these today, and they came out perfectly. I have been loving trying different chocolate chip cookies lately and seeing how different techniques make them come out so differently.