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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
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Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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!
Ok ok ok wow. Cant believe how incredible these are and how quick these come together. I followed recipe exactly and used a mix of semi sweet, dark, and milk chocolate. Absolutely 10/10, will make these for the rest of my life 😂
That makes me so happy Zora! Thank you so much for making these cookies!
Hi, love these cookies. But can I substitute pecans instead of walnuts? BTW, I love all your cookies!
Hi Mary! You absolutely can. Thank you so much for using my recipes!
I will not rate the recipe because it didn’t work for me.. and I’m wondering why. 1 cup of cold butter is how many grams? I even made the cake flour (which we don’t have here in Brazil) and even so the recipe didn’t get the right texture.. the dough was very sticky, sticking all over my hand.. I couldn’t made a ball or any other shape! Can you help me?
Hi Bruno! I am so sorry. It definitely shouldn’t be sticky like that. Let me see how I can help! Did you use 3 cups of flour total? It should be about 382 grams of flour to 1 cup of butter which is 227 grams. I would suggest adding more flour, 1-2 Tablespoons at a time. I hope this helps!
I dont suppose you know the weight of each cookie dough ball you make? I’m kinda confused just how big to make them lol
Hi Heather! I recommend making them 6 oz to replicate the OG Levain Bakery cookie. 🙂
These are my go to cookies. I hate baking these are a love hate lol but if I bake I only make these. Not sure what I did differently this time but they did not work out. Definitely my fault. Just wanted to see if you happened to know. I doubled the recipe which I always do but the cookies are basically melting around the Edges are super flat and sorta burnt and the middle is still a ball.. I did use a mixer this time which I never use (reason for my love hate) do you think I over mixed it?
Being a baker from way back, this recipe made no sense to me, I was sure the cookies would spread out and be raw in the middle and burned on the edges at such a high baking temperature. I followed the recipe exactly, expecting to pull a disaster out of the oven, but mine looked just like the ones in the pictures. They’re perfectly cooked all the way through, have loads of flavor, and are texturally balanced. I did a double batch and made 5 ounces each, enough for 18 cookies which are sure to impress my co workers tomorrow morning. I’m bookmarking this recipe!
I am so glad they turned out great for you! Thank you for your comment, Rick.
Perfect!!! So good, soft inside and a real crunchy cookie on the outside. Only two things I changed was the cornstarch I used 2 tsps of rice flour instead and pecans instead of walnuts.
I was also surprised by the temperature 410 which I did not change. I will continue to make these delicious cookies for sure!!! Thank you!!!
Hi! I’m also Levain obsessed and excited to try these! If I don’t want walnuts, do I just omit them from the recipe?.. or do I need to make any other adjustments? THANK YOU!!
Hi Gayle! You can omit the walnuts from the recipe, no problem. I recommend to replace with 1 cup extra of chocolate chips and add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour if you want a thicker cookie. I hope that helps and that you love this recipe!
I get it that this recipe I’d a copycat. But I would like to make them slightly smaller? Instead of a 6 oz ball of dough. How about 2 to 3 tablespoons? Would that be alright? TIA.
Hi LuAnn! You can definitely make these cookies smaller. I recommend lowering the baking temperature to 400 degrees. I also recommend reducing the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Check the edges to be a light golden brown color. I hope you love this recipe!
I have been making these for years and it is always a hit. Any advice on if I could freeze the dough? 8 cookies is a lot for just me and my husband but it would be nice to have ready!
You can absolutely freeze the dough! I recommend to store in an airtight container. If cooking the dough from frozen I recommend baking at 400 degrees and watching for the edges to turn slightly golden brown, usually 1-2 minutes more of baking time. Or you can also freeze the dough and let it come to room temp before baking as normal. I hope that helps!
Is any refrigeration of the dough needed before the dough goes into the oven?
Hi Olivia! It’s not necessary for this recipe. However, if time permits I always recommend to chill the dough to help enhance the flavor profile. I hope that helps!