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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!
OMG OMG I am the baker in my family and chocolate chip cookies are a must….I will most definitely be trying out this recipe, thank you so much!!!!!!!!
Well, I sure LOVE that you are the baker in the family, Breawn! Good for you! Every family needs a baker in it. 🙂
mine spread way out 🙁
Just put in oven excited to see how they turn out. We have a nut allergy in our house so i added toffee! Do u have a blog modern honey?
Yummy! Love the idea of using toffee instead, Jill. I bet that added some rich flavor to them. Thanks for sharing!
No vanilla? I’m not criticizing. I have found some recipes call for as much as 1 tablespoon of vanilla which overwhelms and basically ruins a cookie. Just wondering if no vanilla enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. I can’t wait to try these. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a fabulous question, Dorthey! I have been waiting to see if someone catches that. When I was doing research on these cookies, the owners and creators of the Levain Bakery cookie said that they don’t use vanilla. They said just because your Mom used it, doesn’t mean you should too. So, I left it out of the recipe. I would love to hear how yours turn out!
I was going to ask the same question about the vanilla, glad to see it answered. Curious to see what the difference would be.
Hi Laura! I am going to try them out this weekend with vanilla and I will let you know what difference it makes, if any at all. I wanted to make them as close to Levain as I could so I stayed true to what I heard out of their mouths even if it is contrary to most chocolate chip cookie recipes. 🙂 Let me know if you try them out, Laura and have a great day! – Melissa
Hi Melissa, did you ever try it with vanilla?
Fabulous flavor. I agree—-these don’t need vanilla. Increase the salt a bit instead. I do think this recipe would benefit from the addition of baking powder to increase the leavening beyond what the baking soda can do against the brown sugar. And, I may try and see what refrigerating the dough anywhere from 1 hour to overnight does to the outcome. I know Ovenly does this with their chocolate chip cookie recipe. But seriously, amazing job with this recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
Did you use light brown or dark brown sugar? Thanks.
Hi Leah! I use the light golden brown sugar. 🙂 Let me know how they turn out. -Melissa
I just made these tonight for dessert and my husband declared them the best cookies I’ve ever made! I followed the recipe using only all-purpose flour and made a batch of 12, and they turned out seriously amazing. The inside is so soft and the outside has a nice crispness, maybe due to the cornstarch? DOESN’T MATTER because these cookies are SO GOOD. I also didn’t use walnuts but I used a mix of semi sweet and dark chocolate. YUMMMM! Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi Hayley! I love to read comments like this and I am super happy that your husband approved. They are hands down my husband’s favorite cookie as well. That is a great idea to substitute another kind of chocolate if you don’t have walnuts. Thanks for the great tip and for your kind comment. Have a great day! 🙂 – Melissa
Hi Claire! That is a great question! Chilling dough is always a fantastic idea – especially at least 24-48 hours to let the flavors come together and make a richer dough. I have tried it both ways with this recipe and if I chill it at least 24 hours, the dough is darker and the cookie a tad richer tasting.
If you can wait it out, chill your dough. Even if you chill it for 30 minutes, it will help keep its shape even better. If not, the very cold butter, straight out of the refrigerator holds up nicely. We put them in the oven and a very high heat which helps them keep their shape (just like when you are baking a pie crust because you want to bake it high so it doesn’t fall and collapse).
Let me know how they turn out! I would love to hear about it. 🙂 Have a great day! – Melissa
Thanks for the reply! So I just saw your response now…right after I just put the first two cookies in without chilling as a test. Also, just a note, my butter was out of the freezer so I left it out on the counter for an hour or so. I think it was still about fridge coldness but it could’ve been a bit warmer. Anyway, they don’t look bad! Held up pretty well, better than I first thought. And they smell delicious! I was going to send a picture but I don’t think the site allows me 🙂 I’ll try the rest after a couple hours of chilling. I think you’re right that either way works!
I love that you are experimenting with different methods because playtime in the kitchen is the best! Which way did you like better? If I chill mine, I will usually lightly pat down the top of the dough with my fingers to make a smooth top so they look pretty when coming out of the oven (I will include that tip in my original recipe). I think that makes a huge difference in the beauty of the cookie. Thanks for your tips and for trying them out, Claire! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It is looking like I will be trying these out today 🙂 So do you not need to let the dough chill at all before baking? I feel like most chocolate chip cookie dough does need to chill but I have come across a couple recipes where it really doesn’t and is better without chilling. The cold butter and cornstarch probably help the consistency here, meaning no chilling is needed. I always hate when you get a runny, spread out cookie on the first try so I wanted to check!
OMG!!! These cookies look AMAZEBALLS!! I’m going to bake them up for my husband for a Father’s Day treat!! Him and my son will die over these, I’m sure of it! Well, so will I, since chocolate chip cookies are my total weakness!
Can’t wait!!!!! EEEEEEK!!!
I love your passion for cookies, Brandalyn! I am so with you on that one! These are my husband’s absolute favorite cookies of all time and I have made thousands of cookies for the guy over the years. 🙂 I hope your husband loves them too!
Hello I want to try making these as bars in a half sheet tray that measures 17×12. Would I double the recipe? Anything I should change? Thank you! Can’t wait to try these!!!
Hi Deana! I would probably double the recipe. I have never tried them as bars so let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Hi the cookies look fantastic and i want to make them but wanted to know if they are made with all cake flour or other flour with cake flour as i am new to baking.
Hi Emily! You are so sweet to make these for your Dad’s birthday. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour and 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use 3 cups All-Purpose Flour. The cake flour just makes the cookies more tender but I have made them both ways and they also turn out fantastic. 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply looking forward to making them soon and thanks my dad loves chocolate chip cookies