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!
Annie Howard
These cookies are the best! Thank you for creating and sharing the recipe. So glad I no longer have to trek to the upper west side to get my Levain cookie fix.
Do you think these will freeze well? Levain recommends freezing then heating for 10 minutes. I imagine these will be similar?
Diane Wiest
LOVE,LOVE,LOVE these cookies!!!!!
They are the BEST!
They take no time at all to make, just made a batch.
Started at 6:50 pm and they were in the oven by 7:00 pm.
Thanks for sharing!
Lisa
Hi, I am really excited to try this recipe and I was wondering if you have this recipe by weights (especially for the flours and sugars). Thanks!
Lisa
I am very excited to try this recipe. Do you know the ingredients by weight?
Chris P.
Wow, where has this cookie been my whole life? Absolutely, the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had. Thank you for your countless trial and error to duplicate Levain Bakery's recipe. I couldn't wait to try the oatmeal raisin and it was equally delicious. Looking forward to the dark chocolate peanut butter chip next. My kids feel like they have hit the jackpot with 3 batches of cookies in one week!
Nina
I've tried this recipe maybe 9x now and it's always a hit at home! Thanks for sharing.
A couple comments though:
1) the cookies don't seem to be as sweet as the ones from Levain. Do you agree?
2) Also, I bake the cookies at 410F for 9 min in my oven. Any more than that gives me over baked cookies. 9 min gives me perfect gooey cookies but the outside isn't as brown and crispy like the OG levain. Any tips? Higher temp perhaps?
Appreciate your reply. Thanks again!
Barb
L O V E this recipe!! They're definitely massive and perfect but my only question is whether they're supposed to be extra goey on the inside? I let them cool for 10 minutes as per the recipe and took a bite. The taste and crunch of the outer layer is absolutely there but they were still super batter like on the inside?
Laura
A. These were AMAZING - my husband just ate 3 and is now in a food coma on the couch.
B. These were the largest sized cookies I've ever made but my batter still yielded 14 cookies - should I have made them bigger?!? Truly they were close to the size of tennis balls (a little bit smaller but WAY WAY bigger than say a golf ball lol) before I baked them and were perfection at 10:30 mark...
Shanna
I made these and they burnt on the bottom. Any suggestions?
Lisa Esplin
Wow. You are my hero. I've searched forever for a great recipe like this. I used coconut instead of walnut and they turned out amazing. Thank you!!!
Modern Honey
Hi Lisa! Yay! So happy to hear that. I love the addition of coconut. I am a huge fan of coconut so I can't wait to give it a shot. Thanks for sharing!
Shanice
I can't wait to try these! May I know if it'll be possible to replace the eggs with a flax egg? I was hoping to try these tomorrow and I'm worried that the flax egg would throw the entire recipe off! Thanks so much in advance!
Modern Honey
Great question! I have used flax in cookies before but not this specific recipe. I believe that it would do okay but watch to ensure that the dough has enough liquid to bind it together. Good luck!
Mary
Salted or unsalted butter? Is there a rule to butter choice and cookies? I can't wait to make them after my first visit to Levain Bakery this month!
Modern Honey
Hi Mary! Such a great question. I use both, to be honest. Most bakers would say to use unsalted only but I have used both in this recipe. If you are using salted butter, you can reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. Glad you got to visit Levain Bakery! So fun!
L. Gold
This is a great recipe! I used pecans instead of walnuts and added vanilla..........definitely a keeper!
Modern Honey
Love the idea of adding pecans...that is a great variation. Also, vanilla adds flavor so that is always a good thing. Thanks for trying out the recipe!
Jenny Jo Hinerman
I made these for the first time, and they turned out perfectly!!! Thanks for all the time and effort you have put towards developing the recipe, I will be making these anytime I need that WOW factor!!!
Morgan Strickland
HI there! I love these cookies. I've made the chocolate chip and the double chocolate. I was wondering if you have tried a sugar cookie version?
Thank you.
Modern Honey
Hi Morgan! Thank you for being amazing and trying out TWO Levain Bakery cookie recipes. I appreciate it! I am going to try it in a sugar cookie version. Stay tuned!
Sarah
Just made these cookies, only change was that I let them sit in the fridge for about an hour before I baked them. These are amazing!!
Modern Honey
Hi Sarah! Great idea. I am a huge fan of chilling cookie dough because it just gets better in time. So glad you love the cookies! Thank you so much for your kind comment.
Katherine Wandell
When I saw your pin on pinterest I thought oh no another "best chocolate chip" recipe. However the fluffy cookie looked good so I gave it a try and BANG...POP ...BOOM was all I could think after I took ONE BITE! Simply Amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Modern Honey
Haha! You made me laugh with your bang, pop, boom. So glad you loved them! Thank you so much for trying them out!
Jen
I have to comment and tell you this is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time! It wins over everyone!
Modern Honey
Woo hoo, Jen! So happy to hear that! Thank YOU so much for taking the time to write a kind comment.
Janice
Making these cookies right now. Love vanilla extract but there isn't any in the recipe. Do the cookies need the flavoring added or are they as good as they look without it?! Thanks!
Modern Honey
Hi Janice! Me too! I left the vanilla out since it is what Levain Bakery does in their cookies but feel free to add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the cookies. It will be wonderful!
Pam C
I'm baack!! They are so freakin good! One mistake I think I made was putting butter on cookie sheet cuz I had no oil on hand and no silicone sheets which made them get a little overcooked on the bottom. By the way those baking silicone sheets are in my amazon cart as we speak! Will be making again and again to share with family and friends!!! Thank you so much!!!
Modern Honey
Welcome back, Pam! xo Thanks for coming back and letting me know how they worked out. Some ovens run a little hot, so you can always lower your temp to 400 degrees and see if that helps. The silicone baking sheets will help big time as well. Thanks for trying them out! 🙂