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
The BEST Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Copycat Cookie Recipe.
- 1 cup Cold Butter cut into small cubes
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour*
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Chocolate Chips
- 2 cups Walnuts roughly chopped
- 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.
*can substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour
*Levain Bakery has stated they don't use vanilla extract in their cookies. If you would like to add vanilla extract, I would suggest adding 1 teaspoon when adding the eggs to the batter.
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.
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Happy Baking!
These look so good! It is amazing how adjusting the proportions on this classic makes a difference!
Thanks for sharing! DO they keep long?
They keep for at least 5 days on the counter. My husband actually likes them more on the 2nd and 3rd day than on the 1st. They are delicious, and they don’t try out as long as they are stored in an airtight container once cooled. I place large flecks of sea salt on top of the dough just before placing in the oven, which really makes the flavor of the cookie pop. Be sure to chill the dough before baking to help prevent them from flattening out. Enjoy!!!
Hi! i made these for the first time today. the only thing I did differently was that I used flour/cornstarch because I didn’t have cake flour. my husband said they cookies tasted like flour 🙁 i ended up baking them for 5 more mins — it helped a little.. i followed everything else step by step… so i’m not sure what i did wrong.. this was my first time ever baking cookies from scratch. thank you!!!
Dana, are you packing the flour down when you measure? Flour measurements are usually for spooned, not packed flour. So if you pack the flour down in each cup, you may be adding too much flour. Another possibility is not mixing well enough.
Yes! I was packing it down. Gonna try again today! Thanks
I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe!! My husband and I love NYC and this is our favorite cookie. I made these for us last night and you nailed the recipe! They are perfect and remind us of our favorite place. Thank you thank you!
Hi, are these cakey type of cookies or more the chewy goeey type? 🙂
I found they were a perfect mix of each, but leaning toward chewy gooey soft center. I can’t stand cookies that taste like cake and these are my favorites, if that’s any incentive.
Is that a total of 3 cups of flour??
Thank you for sharing.
Straight up best cookies I have EVER made in my entire life.
Not a huge fan of walnuts so wondering if I omit these, should I had more chocolate chunks or will I be ok just omitting the almonds??
you can probably do either, or just add a different type of nut. I’ve seen people use pistachios, almonds, especially macadamia.
I doubled the recipe and the first batch is out. I placed 2 to close together so when I transferred to a rack after 10 min rest I could see raw dough in the center. I baked them 11 min, golden brown on top, and couldn’t have made them too big, as I got exactly 16 total. Are they supposed to be rawish/gooey inside or should I have let them go even longer? The bottoms were getting quite brown.
I didn’t have nuts. I was a bit generous measuring the chocolate chips (2 1/2 cups at most) and in my opinion they were almost filled to capacity with chips. I don’t think you could add much more – I wouldn’t do 4 cups of chips. Although now that I think about it, I’m almost tempted to try! But definitely no harm just leaving out the nuts, I speak from experience.
I’m so confused? I follow the recipe exactly I even halved the recipe and yet they still don’t bake all the way through and they always burn the bottom too?? I really want to get this right because they look and must taste amazing? I’m at a loss?
Thank you for posting this recipe I love these cookies every time I visit New York. Hope to get right one day. 😐😔
1. You can bake with another pan upside down underneath (stack them) to help with the burning
2. Take them off and put them on a cooling rack immediately out of the oven
3. Give them longer to set up before eating
Hope that helps!
That is a great idea about stacking the cookie sheets , I had never thought of that . My brand new oven went out and once it was fixed seemed to cook hot , so I will be trying this !! Thank you !
I just tried these cookies last week for the first time, made by a 10 year old girl.
She cooked them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
They were ABSOLUTELY DELISHIOUS!!
I bake all my cookies on parchment paper so they never get burnt on the bottom.
Well, I just made them and they were awful.
They burned in the bottom even though I used parchment paper.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that your oven temperature is not calibrated. I make these three times a week minimum for various markets never have an issue and I always use parchment paper
Hi! I always use an Airbake pan for my cookies so they don’t brown on the bottom. Google them, you can find them anywhere. I also use a piece of parchment and slide it off onto a counter as soon as it comes out of the oven. Hope that helps.
Try baking on a silpat sheet, covering your cookiesheet. I started using these a few years ago and it makes a huge difference. They cook more evenly.
Also, thses cookies are a more gooy centered cookie. Let them set up for at least 15 minutes after taking out of the oven, before testing them.
Oohhhhh so yummy! I may never make small cookies again.
Made these and they were great. However I feel like the middle ws.cooked more, not really gooey when split apart. Few silly questions… I’m trying to think of things that I noticed when I maybe they’ve only met them once that might make a difference for me making it again.
Should the brown sugar be packed when measuring?
I’m using a kitchenaid stand mixer, should the cold butter be mixed completely? I still could see some actual pieces.
The tops of my cookie were very slightly browned but after taking them off the sheet and putting them on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes they were still pretty cooked in the middle, would the height of the rack make a difference?
Thanks again, HUGE fan of your site!
Just made these and they are insane! 🙂
One question….has anyone made them gluten free?? Is it even possible?? Asking because I wanted to make them for a friends birthday.
I made them vegan and gluten free (Earth Balance butter, flax eggs, Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten free baking flour) and they came out great!
Can you share your flax ratio? How many tablespoons and how much water?
Hi!
I don’t have silicone baking sheets. Will parchment paper work?
Yes, that’s what I used. Awesome!!!!
I’ve made these quite a few times, and it’s a HUGE hit in my house. I’ve recently developed a gluten allergy, so I’m going to try these with gluten free flour.
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to come up with the recipe and share it with us! It’s very easy to follow and the outcome is amazing!! You have really made my day. I’ve never written any comments in any blog before but would like you to know how much I (and I’m sure many others) appreciate your kind effort. Will definitely try making your other recipes!
I’ve tried this recipe a few times and with the help of other comments found what worked for me (and my finicky oven). Smaller cookies, at 410F, baked on a regular baking sheet with parchment paper with another baking pan flipped upside down underneath. Made 33 cookies. Very good. Great recipe!
Gluten free flour worked perfectly with this recipe! I subbed gluten free flour for the AP and cake flour and it worked great. I used one stick of salted and one stick of unsalted for the butter and added a teaspoon of vanilla (it just seems like the right to do for all cookie recipes.) Love NYC and Levain, so this is such a fun treat to reminisce. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hello Modern Honey, love this recipe. Tried it once and plan to do it again.
Question though, is ut okay to leave the dough in the freezer overnight? Or is the refrigerator better?
Appreciate ur response
My cookies burnt at 9minutes. I think 410 is way too high
if your cookies burnt you probably made them too small… this recipe makes 8 HUGE cookies
Hi! Do I have to chill de dough in the fridge before baking it? It doesnt specify in the recipe.
I just made them but had cut down on the sugar & added some oats too.
Still tasted great but I was wondering why don’t my choc chips melt like the ones in the picture?
Mine were pretty much still intact…
Thanks!
I made these a tad smaller and with no walnuts and were good, i wouldn’t say great. I’d been wanting to make this recipe since it came out. I think adding nuts would def make them less bland bcuz there’s no vanilla extract to add a bit of flavor. Also I cooked in middle rack for 8.5 minutes, slightly brown on edges – any longer and they started to burn. Came out pretty close to perfect and cooked all the way through. Cooked on silpat but i’m sure you can cook on parchment also. Someone mentioned the butter – put the butter in cold and blend with sugars for 4 minutes – takes a while but that way they all get blended nicely together!
BEST cookies ever!!!!! I’ve now made them multiple times and LOVE them!!! Turn out perfectly. I add a little bit of sea salt to the top before baking. YUM! Thanks for the great recipe!!!!
WOW! These are the best cookies EVER!! I’ve made them multiple times already! I add a bit of sea salt to the top before baking and it adds some extra sweet/salty goodness. Thanks, Melissa! LOVE THEM!!
Very good! My grown son requests these all the time. I like to make a little hole in the center and put peanut butter in some of them before baking.
Can you tell me more about this? My husband loves these cookies but wants me to try to add peanut butter. I don’t want to mess them up by adding too much, but I also want to be able to taste the PB in them as some chocolate chip peanut butter cookie recipes you can’t. Thanks for the help!
Hi, I’m not really doing anything special. Just making a little indent after I plop the dough on to the pan and fill up with about a teaspoon of peanut butter then I take another small piece of dough and cover up the peanut butter. No matter what you do, I can’t imagine a little PB ruining the cookie. Give it a try.
I love your recipes! They are perfection!! My daughter lives in NYC, and we hate waiting in line for Levain cookies! Now,I can make them myself! Due to allergies, is it possible to make them without walnuts? If so, how would you adjust the recipe?
While we are keeping safe and social distancing, I will not be able to visit my daughter, but sending her homemade Levain cookies from the heart will be the next best thing!!!
Thanks Bunches! ❤️
My family doesn’t like nuts. We just simply skipped the nuts and added a little bit more chocolate chips.
I do a lot of cooking and minimal baking. I’ve come across a lot of great recipes and as much as I love them I’m never compelled to write a review. Well today that has changed. These are hands down the best cookies I have not only ever made, but ever eaten. This recipe is pure perfection. I followed the recipe as written and baked the cookies for exactly 10 minutes. I reluctantly let them sit for 10-15 minutes & oh my lanta were they worth the wait! I can’t wait to bake some more!!
Question: in lieu of stand mixer can just a hand mixer be used to cream the butter and sugar and eggs? Stand mixers can be expensive.. Has anyone had success with this? Also has anyone had success with just 3 cups of AP Flour, instead of 1.5 cake flour and 1.5 AP Flour?
I always use a hand mixer. I have not tried 3c AP Flour.
I used 3 cups all purpose flour. They came out perfectly.
Hello,
Do you need to toast the walnuts prior?
They are Delish!!! Can someone tell me why they would flatten during baking? I think I followed recipe exactly. (I did not pack down sugar-should I) Thanks!
These cookies are literally the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. I bake the as the recipes call for (except I mix, in bittersweet, semi sweet, and milk chocolate) then smash them lightly with a spatula when I take them out of the oven. They’re incredibly pretty and perfect as gifts or a treat for yourself. I’ve even baked one GIANT cookie using 1/2 the dough and it came out perfectly. Thank you!!
Didn’t have walnuts so I made with cashews. So yummy! They’re definitely HUGE but in a good way.
Cookie fiend here, like yourself.
I LOVE Levain cookies. Obsessed.
Dare I say that these are even better?! These. Cookies. Are. The. Truth.
I turned the tray half way through the bake time, which I think helped for an even bake. Also, this time I did half peanut butter morsels and half chocolate chips instead of walnuts. We are making ice cream sandwiches out of the cookies for our family, if we can stop ourselves from inhaling them first!
Thank you thank you!
did you pack down the brown sugar?
I have made this recipe several times and it is perfection.. just like the ones from Levains… I like to toast the walnuts before adding to the cookie…
I’ve also changed out the chips several times to create different variations of the cookie with great results..
I skipped the walnuts in one batch and added peanut butter cups and the result was delicious..
In another attempt, I dropped the walnuts and chocolate chips and replaced with 2 cups butterscotch chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips. The result tasted like white chocolate macadamia cookies without the nuts. Next try will be with the addition of macadamia nuts…
This is a fantastic recipe!!!
Hellloooo… pretty rounded home baker here. This was my second attempt at your Levain cookies (first time was the chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips) and I made those maybe 2 years ago… they were so tasty, but I had issues with the size + bake time, as I’ve read some other reviewers, and did end up with undercooked (raw) cookies, which were obviously deliciously fudgey the next day, but not quite what I’d aimed for. That time I followed the recipe to a T EXCEPT I made them a little smaller and came out with I think 10. Fast forward to today, I had some cake flour and knew I wanted to try another round Levain cookies! THIS time, now the proud owner of a kitchen scale, I made these cookies identical in size and got exactly 8. 9 min in, they were just browned on top just like in your photos, pulled them out. 10 min wait. Break into one and… totally raw inside! Like, a half centimeter past the outside of the cookie, just raw gooey dough. What?! Kinda at a loss, put em back in for a couple minutes… let them sit longer… and still pretty gooey raw. My oven runs near perfect temp… my butter was cold, the flours weighed… I know enough about baking now to use my instincts even with a recipe, but I told myself that if you got these results with this recipe then I have to at least try it exactly again. Looking back I just would have made them smaller and lower temp I guess. Now, I am certain that when you make these at home, they are perfect 🙂 I just can’t figure how me and a couple other reviewers can end up with less than perfect results! Just kinda sad! lol.
And as a total side note for anyone else; if your normal go-to is Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies like me, then my personal preference would be to add vanilla to these, there seems a certain magic flavor element lost without it.
These cookies did NOT disappoint! Oh my freaking god! They came out amazing and HUGE! Love love love. Will be putting the rest of the batch of dough in the freezer to make at a later date. Well done!!
Do you have a gram conversion of this recipe along with the dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie?
I made a conversion online, but I don’t know if it is accurate.
225g butter
215g brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
115g cake flour
120g plain flour
1 tsp corn-starch
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
350g chocolate
250g walnuts
I’m making quite a big batch so i don’t wanna mess up.
Excellent recipe for the thickest choc chip cookie ever! I added Vanilla and Almond extract, and used only regular flour. In addition I use Kerrigold Irish Butter and add a little extra cornstarch for chewyness. Then I allow the batter to either refrigerate or freeze. The cookies turn out amazing! Make sure to take them off the baking sheet after a min or two so bottoms don’t burn. Good luck!
I made these the other day. The best chocolate Chip cookies I’ve ever made. The whole family agrees. Now replacing old favorite recipe with this one. Thank you.
I had to subscribe to your channel to let you know that these cookies were the ABSOLUTE BEST COPY CAT VERSION of a LEVAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE I ever made. These were so so so good!!! I can’t even begin to explain how good they were. Never thought a cookie could could taste this yummy. Thank you for the recipe!!
I only have plain or self raising flour so does this mean 3 cups of Plain flour if this is the case? I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and it’s nothing like how yours look, not gooey at all. I even reduced cooking time but still nothing like yours?
Holy moly! I have a tried and true recipe that I usually make for gifts, friend surprises, and just everyday snacking here. But this recipe has probably replaced it. Family approves! 🙂 LOVE the crunchy/slightly underbaked combination. Amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
The cookies were amazing, though i cut down on the sugar and used more dark chocolate chips.
First batch I made a dozen cookies, while the second batch I made 15 – prefer the latter as it felt luxurious without being too much.
I baked the dough frozen, first 10 mins at 200 degree Celsius, then the next 6 mins at 175 degree Celsius (for the one dozen batch). The cookies were cooked through, a little brown and crispy on the outside, but remained soft (not cakey) inside. I also toasted the walnuts before incorporating them.
Thank you for this recipe!
Mine didn’t come out thick. I added corn starch. Where did I go wrong? I did use apple sauce instead of egg. Could that be it?
Hi there, just wondering if it’s a total of 3 cups of flour and if we are able to use just cake flour for all three cups? Thank you!
I’m really excited to try making these in the next couple of days! Do the eggs need to be room temperature or cold from being right out of the fridge?
Thank you!!
BEST HOMEMADE COOKIES EVER! due to quarantine, there is no cake flour or cornstarch so i just used 3 cups of flour. cant wait to be able to follow the recipe exactly because these were out of control amazing.
Important to cream the butter and sugar for 4 mins 🙂
had to make another batch 3 days later they were such a hit! been searching for the best cookie recipe and dont need to look any further!!
Would grating the cold butter work here as well?
Hands down the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had, and it didn’t cost $4.50 for just 1 cookie! Super simple to make, I didn’t have cake flour so I did the sub hack (for every 1 c. flour remove 1 tbsp. flour and replace with 1 tbsp corn starch). I’m in trouble with the recipe… had every intention of taking some to a neighbors and ended up hoarding them all to myself, SO DELICIOUS!
OMG!! These are the BEST cookies I have ever made! They are crazy good. Influenced by giant cookies we buy online, I divided the dough into thirds and added different mix-ins. Oreos, M&M’s, and sprinkles before forming them into eight seperate cookies. Unbelievably good. Can’t wait to make them again!
Both my sister and I made these, separately from each other, in the smaller size. The cookies were good, but neither of us nor our kids thought they tasted like the Levain cookies. They weren’t dense like Levain’s, they were quite light.
Hi! I’m planning to bake this recipe tomorrow and I just want to make a mini version of the levain style cookies, about 3oz. How long should I bake the cookie dough and what type of chocolate do you recommend that I should use?
Hi,
i am excited about making these cookies. I want to make normal size cookies. What should I set my oven to? 350 is the norm. They do look delicious. Thank you for sharing.