Levain Bakery Raspberry Pistachio Cookies

These Levain Bakery Raspberry Pistachio cookies are a homemade copycat of Levain Bakery’s new summer flavor, which combines raspberry chips, crunchy pistachios, and creamy white chocolate chips in their signature thick, bakery-style cookie. Our version uses a homemade raspberry chip made from crushed freeze-dried raspberries and white chocolate for that same fruity flavor without needing specialty baking chips. These cookies are thick, gooey, and loaded with tart raspberry, rich white chocolate, and crunchy salted pistachios in every bite!

If you have been following me since 2015, you know that I take my cookie baking pretty seriously. I have been a fan of the famous New York City bakery, Levain Bakery, since I first tried it 15 years ago. Since I can’t fly to NYC every time I have a Levain Bakery cookie craving, I have created recipe dupes for their cookies so I can bake them at home.

You probably already know this story — the very first recipe I ever shared back in 2015 was my Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Recipe. I spent months testing and perfecting that recipe before it felt just right and it is still one of my most popular recipes!

So, when they drop a new cookie, I can’t wait to go try it, analyze it, and try to recreate it at home. They just dropped their new raspberry pistachio bakery-style cookie on Monday and I was so excited! I am such a huge fan of raspberry and white chocolate together and then you add in crunchy pistachios, and I am ALL IN! The combination sounded heavenly!

I am in California this month, so we jumped in our car and headed to Los Angeles to try their brand new cookie. It was worth the 3-hour drive home! If you know LA traffic, you know that 3 hours for a 54-mile trip is pretty normal. But, I knew that I needed to taste the raspberry chips and figure out the ratios. We all LOVED the cookie, and it is absolutely delicious! I was giddy to get into my kitchen and start creating.

There was one hiccup.

Levain Bakery uses Valhrona raspberry chocolate disks, and I looked them up to purchase them, and they are $54 for a 1 lb. bag of chocolate. In this economy, there is no way that I am linking to buy $54 chocolate!

So, I did what I like to do best: INVESTIGATE. I looked at the ingredients in their chocolate and realized that I could make these at home. Well, I was pretty confident, but I had to figure out the ratios and if they would set up, but when there’s a will, there’s a way!

I set out to make homemade raspberry chocolate chips. I headed to Trader Joe’s to pick up some freeze-dried raspberries since Valrhona uses a raspberry powder, I was going to grind up the freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor until I got a fine raspberry powder. It worked!

The next part was working with white chocolate or ruby chocolate. I had both in my pantry so I experimented with both. I melted the white chocolate with a touch of oil so it would be silky smooth and then mixed in the raspberry powder. IT WORKED!!! Now, I needed to make them into disks and see how fast they would set up.

They set up and became cute, little disks, and so I was super happy about that. And honestly, it was super easy — raspberry powder, melted white chocolate, and a touch of oil. That’s it! It cost me $7.98 instead of $54, so that’s a win in my book! But, how did they taste? I am happy to report that the raspberry flavor came through, and they were perfectly tart yet sweet and so creamy. SUCCESS!

So, now it was time to create the cookie. I have a house full of taste testers, which was perfect, since 8 of them were going to be brutally honest with me (that is the criteria for being a taste tester), and they absolutely loved them! I am so excited for you to make them!

Ingredients:

• Cold Butter – Unlike most cookie recipes that call for softened butter, Levain-style cookies use cold, cubed butter. This helps the dough stay thick and prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is the secret to that signature tall Levain shape.
• Granulated Sugar + Brown Sugar – Using more brown sugar than white sugar is key to achieving that soft, slightly chewy texture Levain cookies are known for. Brown sugar also adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavor that balances the tart raspberry.
• Eggs – Use large eggs in baking recipes.
• Cake Flour – Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which creates a lighter, more tender crumb inside these otherwise thick and substantial cookies. This is one of the secrets behind Levain’s famously soft interior.
• All Purpose Flour – Using a blend of plain flour and cake flour makes the perfect thick bakery style texture.
• Baking Soda 
• Cornstarch — this helps to make the cookies thick yet soft and the perfect bakery-style cookie.
• Salt

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE (you can make from scratch or buy Valhrona Raspberry chocolate). Here’s what you need to make an easy homemade raspberry chocolate:

• Homemade Raspberry Chips (Freeze-Dried Raspberries + White Chocolate Chips + Oil) – This is the star ingredient that makes this cookie so special. Crushed freeze-dried raspberries are blended with melted white chocolate and a small amount of neutral oil, then frozen and chopped into chip-sized pieces. This creates a chip with concentrated raspberry flavor and a beautiful pink color, without adding excess moisture to the dough the way fresh or frozen raspberries would. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s but you can find them at most grocery stores.
• White Chocolate Chips (or Ruby chocolate) — Adds extra pockets of creamy sweetness throughout the cookie that perfectly balances the tartness of the raspberry chips. I like to use Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. I am also showing ruby chocolate chips above, which can be used as well.
• Pistachios (Chopped, Shelled, Unsalted) — Adds a rich, buttery, nutty crunch and a gorgeous pop of green color throughout the dough. Roughly chopping the pistachios gives you both small flecks and larger crunchy pieces in every bite. I prefer to use salted pistachios.

How to make Copycat Levain Raspberry Pistachio Cookies:

• Buy or make raspberry chocolate chips. If you are making raspberry chocolate disks, I suggest making them first to give them time to set-up. Start by grinding up freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor or grinder until they are a powder consistency. Place the white chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until melted. Stir after each time. Don’t overcook as white chocolate can easily burn. Once it is smooth and melted, stir in raspberry powder and stir until smooth. You may see some raspberry seeds and that’s okay (you can always strain the powder before adding it to the white chocolate).

• Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Drop the raspberry chocolate onto the baking sheet to make small round circles (disks) the size of a nickel or quarter.

• Let it sit at room temperature or place it in the refrigerator to chill. Room temperature will take about 1-2 hours, and if you chill them in the refrigerator, it should take 15-25 minutes. Don’t leave it in the refrigerator too long or it can cause condensation.

• Preheat oven to 400 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 dry ingredients — flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing. Stir in raspberry chocolate disks, white chocolate, and pistachios. Mix just until combined and the raspberry disks break up slightly.
• Separate dough into large 6-ounce balls and place on light colored cookie sheet. I suggest you use light colored baking sheets and bake in the center of the oven. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):

Raspberry Desserts:

White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Raspberry Crisp

Raspberry Cream Pie

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Levain Bakery Copycat Cookies:

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Levain Bakery Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies
Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies
Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Levain Bakery Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Levain Bakery Fall Spiced Cookies

Storage:

Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They are best enjoyed within the first day or two for that signature gooey center.

Refrigerator: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm briefly in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving to bring back that fresh-baked gooey texture.

Freezer (Recommended): Baked cookies freeze well for up to 2 months. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before serving.