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!
Lesley Lurie
Your recipe looks great, but (even after reading ALL the comments), I am still unclear about how to make these cookies without the walnuts: Can I just leave them out or do I need to make any adjustments to the other ingredients? Thanks so much!
Nanette
I have been in search of Levain’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are spot on! The best!
This is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Dini
Hi there. This looks incredible. I have an urgent question as my husbands birthday is tomorrow. Do you know if this would work with gluten free flour. A good baking mix of gluten free flours.
Would love to know
Thanks so much
Karolina Elizabeth Wirga
I used King Arthur gluten free flour and it came out AMAZING
Robyn
I made a batch of these cookies, cooked one sheet, took a bite of the first cookie and just did not like it. I honestly thought it was just awful. I re-read your comments and thought "Aha!" because most people said they wanted to try the recipe not that they had actually made the cookies and loved them. I was so annoyed that I threw the rest of the batch away. The next morning I decided to eat one of the awful cookies with my coffee. To my astonishment, it was just delicious! I have no idea what happened to that first cookie or maybe it was just too soon out of the oven. Too bad that old batter was long gone but I will make these again. I savored the last bite of the last cookie and was sad to see it go.
Allison
I made these tonight and they were amazing! I’ve never had a Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie so I don’t have anything to compare these to but it doesn’t matter because these are so delicious and decadent! I baked the first batch for 12 minutes and found them s bit too undercooked inside so I baked my second batch for 14 minutes and that seemed perfect. Again I can’t compare to the original Levain cookie. Also since I weigh my ingredients I used King Arthur’s conversion chart and both flours were each 180 grams, the brown sugar was 213 grams and the white sugar was 99 grams. I will definitely be making these again!
Jay
Hi I'm want to try this recipe ASAP ????But wanted to know the flour and cake flour amounts in grams? Cookies sound amazing
Marlene
Hi there!! What brand chocolate chips do you use? I see the picture has maybe two different kinds? Thank you!!
Modern Honey
Great question! I love Guittard and Ghirardelli. I also like the Trader Joe's chocolate chips (not the chunks) and even the TJ's Pound Plus Bar, chopped up. I hope that helps!
Dawn
Hello, my husband and I are New Yorkers. I used to live on the Upper West Side near Levain. I was searching around for Levain recipe and found your blog. Your images caught my attention and looked the most authentic to Levain's. I made these the other day and I must say, BRAVA, they are perfect. The closest to Levain I can ever imagine. Two days after I made them I decided to make more to bring to a holiday party we are going to this weekend. I'll let you know what the roomful of diehard New Yorkers says. Absolute perfection. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Also, you are so right, the dough is lethal, the best dough I've ever had.
Modern Honey
What a great compliment, Dawn! Thank you! I love to hear it from New Yorkers because you know Levain cookies well. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Have a great day! -- Melissa
Shannon Hill
Is the flour sifted? Making these tomorrow and know that sometimes makes a difference
Jen
I think I forgot to add cornstarch. The dough balls are chilling in my fridge. Any way/point in adding the cornstarch?
Lisa B
I just made these. 2 of them turned out really well and the rest sort of cracked at the bottom and werent as pretty. Any idea what happened? I have a gas stove so Im wondering if I need to adjust the temp down? Also the only light colored pan I have is an airbake, and they seem to take a lot longer to bake on. Help!
Kelly
Any recommendations for baking these at higher altitudes? We are at about 4500’.. Baked them at 410 for 12 minutes and still quite doughy in the middle. I want so badly for them to come out!
Jen
Ok, so I made these tonight and they were delicious! This is the first time I've made chocolate chip cookies, that didn't end up like crispy pancakes! I did make some modifications based on what I had ... I used ALL all purpose flour, because I didn't have cake flour and used tapioca starch in place of the cornstarch, because I didn't have any of that either. I don't know if it made a difference or not but the end result was still amazing! I also had to cook mine a little longer, cause the inside was still way too gooey. I did reduce the temp in the 2nd batch to 375 though cause the outsides were getting too crisp before the middle was cooked. But still, delicious. Thank you! Definitely a keeper.
lena
I tried Levain cookies for the first time this summer and they were delicious. I want to make them for a cookie exchange at my school with teachers. If I wanted to make them half the size of your regular ones, what temperature/timing would I have to change it to?
Thanks!!
Modern Honey
Hi Lena! Thank you! I would suggest reducing the temperature to 400 degrees and baking at about 8-9 minutes. Ovens can vary so keep a watch on them. I hope that helps!
Ali Calinoff
I made these with my daughters, and they turned out so good. Thank you for this recipe! It's a keeper for sure.
Eunice
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. They are baking in the oven right now. I want to bring some to my doctor and nurse tomorrow to show my appreciation. In order to keep the cookies in their freshest texture and taste, how should I store the cookies until I give them tomorrow? Thank you for taking the time to respond to the gazillion comments and questions.
Anne C
I used bread flour instead of cake flour, and these came out simply divine. Hands down the best chocolate chip cookie recipe on the internet.
Colleen Coger
I just went to Levain Bakery this weekend! The best chocolate chip cookie ever! I am going to definitely make your recipe. Do you recommend toasting the walnuts? Also, can I use parchment paper in place of Silpat?
Thank you!
Modern Honey
Hi Colleen! Oh how I love Levain Bakery. How fun! Toasting the walnuts always makes them better so that is a great idea. Yes, you can use parchment paper instead of a Silpat. I actually use parchment paper sheets more these days than Silpats so they will work great.
Suhana
Could you please convert cups to grams?
K
Hi!
These cookies are meant to be large.
But, what if I bake the regular sized cookies (1-1.5 tbsp of dough per cookie), can you recommend the oven temperature and baking time?
Thank you.